May 13, 2013 – As the unemployment rate continues to drop in Colorado Springs, parents heading back to work and short on spare time are increasingly looking for time-saving activities for their children that won’t drain an already fragile bank account. Along with concerns about young athletes and concussions, parents are turning to organizations like i9 Sports for their children.

Ken Griffith, the local i9 Sports owner who took over the Colorado Springs location last year, says rising employment figures and i9 Sports’ focus on fun and safety were the catalysts that helped him set a new overall participation record, including doubling summer registration, last year.  This year, he says he is opening a new location at Bear Creek Regional Park to meet the increased demand for busy parents who are looking to reconnect with their families during i9 Sports Saturdays.

“More families are switching to i9 Sports because our practices and games are now all on Saturday morning,” local i9 Sports Program Director Ken Griffith said, “We have one family that has seven children in our league. She gets them all here for practice and games that start at 10:00 AM and are completed by noon. They still have their entire Saturday remaining to connect with their children after a busy week.”

Colorado Springs families aren’t the only ones capitalizing on the i9 Sports’ one day a week sports schedule.  i9 Sports, with participation topping 600,000 young athletes in 275 locations nationwide, has gained tremendous appeal among families over the last decade for the one day a week schedule and several reasons pertaining to efficiency, cost, safety and fun.  These include…

• Practices and games are held together, one day a week – great for working parents because it cuts down on driving, fuel costs, and interruptions to family life and school work.

• No fundraising or mandatory volunteering.  No tournament travel, coach and referee fees, trophy expenses, fundraising or parent volunteering required.

• The league offers no-contact, flag footballand the soccer league has banned heading, greatly reducing the risk of concussions.

• After background checks, all coaches and league officials are trained and certified.

• The emphasis is on fun.  Every child makes the team and plays equally.

• Parents sign a pledge to be a model of good sportsmanship.  After each game, a child earns a sportsmanship award for showing great conduct with teammates and opponents.

Participating coach and parent Nick Brock is one of many Colorado Springs residents who appreciates those i9 Sports qualities.  With two of his own children and a nephew in the league, Brock credits the league’s practice-and-games bundle as the catalysts driving his family’s involvement with i9 Sports.

“It’s a great place for the kids to get together and play and for the family to enjoy an all-around great experience,” says Brock.  “I like the fact that it’s one day a week. With my wife and I having such a busy schedule, that really makes it wonderful.  Basically, each Saturday morning, we’ll get there for a 30 minute to one hour practice followed by the game. Typically, we are finished around 11:15 AM and have the rest of the day to spend time together as a family – a rare occurrence in this day and age!”

i9 sports in Colorado Springs offers flag football, baseball, soccer, basketball and cheerleading in multiple seasons.  Registration information can be found at www.i9sports.com.

About i9 Sports

Based in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, i9 Sports^® is the first and fastest-growing youth sports franchise company in the United States. With more than half a million members from New York to Hawaii, i9 Sports offers leagues, camps, and clinics for boys and girls ages 3-14 in today’s most popular team sports such as flag football, soccer, basketball and baseball.

A privately held company, i9 Sports was founded in 2003 by CEO Frank Fiume on the principle that the number one reason kids play organized sports is to have fun, not to become a draft pick.  Reinventing the industry, customers enjoy the i9 Sports Experience which emphasizes fun, safety and convenience as well as teaching the value of good sportsmanship.

Named #1 Children’s Fitness Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine, i9 Sports has been ranked in their prestigious Franchise 500® issue the past six years. i9 Sports has also been listed among INC Magazine’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies for the past three years and received Franchise Business Review’s Top 50 in Franchise Satisfaction Award for four years in a row.

For more information on i9 Sports, visit www.i9Sports.com . To learn more about the low investment, low overhead i9 Sports franchise model, visit www.i9Sportsfranchise.com .

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