Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation donates $90K to support Pittsburgh youth sports organizations

Dick’s Sporting Goods on Tuesday announced a $90,000 donation to Pittsburgh City Council, which will use the money to provide grants to youth athletic organizations in the city.

This comes after City Council last month allocated $410,000 to the City Clerk’s Office for the same purpose. Council members will be able to select youth athletic organizations in their districts to receive grants of up to $5,000.

“We recognize that they keep approximately 10,000 kids in activities outside of school,” Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said of the city’s youth athletic leagues.

Kail-Smith — who sponsored the measure to make the initial $410,000 available — said youth sports are more important now than ever, as they provide a healthy outlet for children and keep them away from violence and other problems.

“Right now, we see that there’s so much going on with kids,” she said. “Violence is so high right now.”

At the same time, she said, many youth athletic leagues struggled during the covid-19 pandemic, when they couldn’t hold fundraisers or other events. Families and coaches had to dig into their own pockets to keep such programs alive, she said.

Councilman Anthony Coghill said he’s already received multiple requests for funding within his own district, which includes Brookline, Beechview and Carrick. He highlighted the importance of allowing council members who are familiar with the needs and people of their neighborhoods to determine who should receive grant money.

“I feel we as council members know the coaches — and the coaches know the kids most in need,” Coghill said.

Coghill said he knows the difficulties of coming up with money for sports firsthand, and wants to alleviate that burden on other families.

“I grew up as one of three brothers with limited resources to get spikes or balls,” he said. “It was really difficult.”

The Sports Matter grant from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation will provide each of the city’s nine council districts with an extra $10,000 to distribute to youth athletic organizations.

“We believe that sports make people better and that every kid deserves a chance to play,” said Kristen Garmey, associate director of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation. “The fact that the city of Pittsburgh is doing it just makes us all better. Being able to partner with someone in our hometown is a great thing for us.”

Dick’s is based in Findlay.

Mayor Ed Gainey said corporate partnerships like this are “always a great thing.”

“The more we cooperate and work together, the more we get done,” he said.