Dear Athletic Directors, Athletic Board Members & Basketball Coordinators:

 I would like to thank you for the time & talent you offer your Parish on behalf of the children & families served by you and your organization. I have been serving the needs of my Parish, St. Alexander for 30 years and have also had the pleasure of helping other Parishes fulfill their athletic league needs with the creation of the St. Alexander Volleyball League and PAL Basketball Leagues. There have been many changes in those 30 years to accommodate shifts in our lifestyles, family dynamics, Parish growth/school closings, competitive differences and economy. In addressing our current needs, we have decided to structure the PAL Basketball League to help alleviate some of the stressors of our changing society.

We would like to offer a solution which we think will help all cope with the choices we must make for our participants and their families. Our PAL Basketball League will be structured in “tournament pool play” format. We will bring in 3 teams on a Friday evening at hosting schools to play 2 games each and 4 teams on a Sunday to play 3 games each. In other words, your team (coaches, players & parents) will only have to drive to, pay gates fee’s and schedule for 5 – 7 dates instead of 12 -14 play dates.

We think this is the answer to many of the dilemma’s facing our society in the tough economic times. It also helps in the challenge of freeing up more family time in the hectic, fast-paced world we live in! We hope you agree with us and will support our league as you have in the past. We also hope to attract other Parishes/Schools by offering this alternative to traditional league play. There will always be a need for the traditional league play, and we whole heartedly support those leagues. We want to offer our league as the ideal “2nd league/house league” to help teams remain competitive while alleviating the challenges facing all of us in today’s world.

Mary Soapes will be working on the specifics of the league structure and sending out the information to all Coordinators. In the meantime, please discuss this concept with your Athletic Boards/Associations and let us know your feelings.

We can always be reached through our email at pal0607@aol.com or feel free to call either of us at anytime.

God Bless,

Cathy Sullivan                      Mary Soapes                                      

Director                                Assistant Director