At The 18th Ward, we believe everyone should be able to play, learn, and grow through sports —

no matter their income, background, or neighborhood.

The 18th Ward Programming Pipeline chart with age ranges from 3 to 24, showing different programs for youth development including Little Tykes, Youth Sports, Community Programs, School Partnerships, She's Got Game, and Workforce Development. Each program has specific activities or initiatives listed, with color-coded sections.

The 18th Ward is dedicated to increasing youth access to sports by eliminating barriers to participation. Serving individuals aged 3 to 24, we offers high-quality, low-cost, and inclusive sports programs that foster positive youth development and community building.

Beyond sports programs, The 18th Ward engages in workforce development by empowering young people with skills, knowledge, and opportunities to succeed in the workforce, addressing systemic barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized youth. ​

Additionally, the organization collaborates with local schools, nonprofits, and other entities to make sports more accessible, designing and implementing onsite programs tailored to the unique needs of their partners. ​

Through these initiatives, The 18th Ward aims to build a stronger, more inclusive community where all youth have the opportunity to participate in sports and develop valuable life skills




Participation Fees

We are committed to providing a low-cost program. We want you to play with us and believe cost should never be a barrier to a child’s participation. We have a sliding scale participation fee model and families can choose an option that best supports their budget.

Participation Fee Options

$5 No Barriers

This fee is available to all families for all of our programs. We have a growing waitlist for participation. This fee confirms your registration and reserves your child’s spot in the program.

$50 One Athlete

This fee reserves your child’s spot in the program and is then reinvested into our community by covering the basic costs for recruiting, training, and retaining high-quality coaches.

$40 Multiple Athletes

This fee is designed to give families with multiple children a financial break and reserves each child’s spot in the program.

$100 Participation Plus

This fee reserves your child’s spot in the program and helps us support other members of our community so there are no barriers to their participation.

Payment Options

PayPal logo, featuring a stylized blue and white 'P' next to the word 'PayPal' in blue.

Please “Add a note” with an athlete’s name.

Pay here

Venmo logo with blue square and white 'V'

@the18thward. Please put your athlete’s name(s) in the “What’s it for?” line.

Pay here

Cash App logo with green square featuring white dollar sign.

@ $the18thward. Please put your athlete’s name(s) in the “For:” line.

Pay here

You can pay on our site with a credit card using the donation form.

Pay here