Detroit — The smell of fresh cut grass, the sharp sounds of a whistle cutting through the early autumn air, that rush of feeling when a child scores their first goal.

CYO sports have created lasting memories for generations.

Since 1933, Catholic Youth Organization sports have brought classmates, parishioners and families together on the playing field, celebrating athletics while promoting character and sportsmanship.

Practices for the fall season have already started; the football season started Aug. 29 and soccer, volleyball and cross country are set to begin after Labor Day.

CYO sports play an integral role in raising children in the Catholic faith and promoting the community, said Archdiocese of Detroit CYO Director of Athletics Joe Charnley.

“CYO sports are a great experience. Sports help students learn how to become team members,” Charnley said. “We emphasize the Catholic faith a lot. We pray before and after every game and it really creates a sense of faith.”

CYO sports are divided into two age groups for each gender, grades 5-6 and grades 7-8, with participants competing on school teams throughout the archdiocese. Students who do not attend a Catholic school still have the option to join their parish’s team.

Even though students just returned to school, CYO athletic groups already are preparing for the winter season, with sign-up forms for winter sports to be sent out Sept. 21, said Charnley, who expects as many as 430 basketball teams to compete throughout the archdiocese.

CYO sports are introduction to school-based sports for many young athletes, Charnley said, building a competitive nature that develops them physically and mentally.

“At the fifth- and sixth-grade level, everybody has to play in two quarters and nobody can play in all four,” Charnley said. “At the lower levels, we focus on participation rather than trying to win all the time. When you get to the seventh and eighth grade, it really gets competitive because we are teaching all that goes into winning the game.”

Charnley credits CYO sports as part of the foundation for the success of the Catholic League at the high school level, which produced 19 state champions during the 2014-15 school year.

“I think CYO is a big part of the Catholic League’s success,” Charnley said. “We try to emphasize to the kids the values of CYO and how sports can be a continuation of Catholic education.”

Even more than the trophies won, Charnley said the success of CYO sports can be measured by the number of adults who come back to CYO to help the next generation.

“It really creates a Catholic culture for the next generation,” Charnley said. “Probably 97 percent of our coaches are volunteers, and people come back to CYO because they want to see the success of the Catholic League to continue. We want to keep our proud, rich tradition going.”

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CYO sports

To see CYO’s complete list of sports and sign-up dates, visit www.aod.org/being-catholic/catholic-youth-organization/athletics.