Since the inception of Memphis Athletic Ministries in 1998, thousands of youth from across the Mid-South have played in MAM leagues and tournaments. Unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic has forced MAM to pause team sports for the time being and refocus our attention on physical fitness.
Youth attending MAM participate in fitness challenges, consisting of jumping jacks, push ups, planks, and even a mile run. These challenges repeat every two weeks to determine a student’s progress over time. To keep the spirit of team sports alive, all six MAM locations are “competing” against one another to bring trophies back to their gym.
The pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to introduce some of our youth to a new sport – soccer. Roughly 90 elementary and middle school students at MAM Olivet, MAM Leawood, and the MAM Grizzlies Center participate in soccer training each week led by Seamus Loftus, owner of The Brass Door located in Downtown Memphis. Our goal is to expand soccer training to additional MAM sites and eventually form a youth soccer league.
Unfortunately, the annual MAM Classic tournament has been cancelled this year.
Please contact Kyle Bennison, MAM Sports Program Director, at kbennison@mamsports.org for any questions.
