Mudsock Youth Athletics, founded in 1987, is a nonprofit that provides children in Hamilton Southeastern and Fishers school districts the opportunity to play recreational and competitive team sports. Leaders seek to promote character development, leadership and physical fitness through programming.
“We want our kids to become better humans through sports,” says Scott Spillman, executive director. “We’re always happy when an athlete plays on a varsity team or plays collegiately or even professionally, but our focus is on the 99% of kids who are making new friends and learning life lessons through sports.”They offer baseball, basketball, cheer, field hockey, football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, track, cross-country, volleyball, and, new this year, intramural high school flag football. In 2024 they’re adding pickleball and esports.
In the 1980s Fishers was a town of fewer than 20,000. Now it has more than 100,000 residents, and Mudsock Youth Athletics has more than 10,000 kids playing each year. With 2,000 volunteers who help run the leagues, they’re one of the largest volunteer-led organizations in the state.
“Where we differentiate ourselves is by providing toolkits and practice plans to our volunteers,” Spillman says.
Since the pandemic, they’ve made a big push to keep kids active. “During COVID we learned that free play went by the wayside,” Spillman says. “Children stopped going out in backyards or down the street to play with neighborhood kids.” Therefore, they installed free play boxes at various Fishers parks, which are full of sports equipment.
“Think of the Little Free Library concept,” Spillman says. “If you go to a green space, you can open one of those up and have a ball or a Frisbee to throw around.”
They’ve also partnered with the Fishers Youth Assistance Program to provide activity kits to children who receive the summer meal program. It’s a drawstring bag with a jump rope, chalk and an inflatable ball.
“Data shows that come middle school, kids who aren’t playing at a competitive or elite level stop playing entirely,” Spillman says. “We want to change that.”
Mudsock Youth Athletics is located at 12690 Promise Road in Fishers. For more information, call 317-845-5582 or visit myathletics.com.
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