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Community > Clifton Park Sports Leagues, Teams & Clubs

Clifton Park holds an abundance of sports leagues, clubs and teams, giving opportunities to all ages, interests, and abilities to participate in a little fun or a little competitive sport. Even a short perusal of the many prospects for sports recreation reveals the plentiful variety of "things to do" that involve a ball, or a puck, or a swimsuit, or some oars...

Baseball

For America's Favorite Pastime, Clifton Park has two baseball leagues. The Clifton Park Baseball League is divided into three divisions based on age and is directed at kids from ages 5-18. The Halfmoon Baseball League is open to all boys and girls, within the same age group. They are a tax exempt organization that accepts all potentials regardless of their place of residence (some sports clubs are exclusively or primarily for Clifton Park residents).

Softball

Softball is available to young girls between the ages of 4 and 17 through Miss Shen Softball. There are both non-competitive recreational teams and competitive travel teams. Divisions within those two categories are made by age and not by ability. Recreational teams play in the spring, with travel teams playing in the summer and fall. Instructional teams, with clinics and tournaments, are also held during the summer and fall seasons. Miss Shen Softball can also boast of having its own complex of fields for practices and games. For male softball players in their golden years, Olde Timers Softball is open to 55+ players all over the Capital District area. Games are played on Saturdays at the Veterans Memorial Park.

Cheerleading

Go team! Cheerleading is another local opportunity for young girls. The Plainsmen Jr. Cheerleading league is meant for girls from grades 3-8 to learn cheers and the sport of cheerleading in a fun and non-competitive environment. There are no tryouts, and every girl who signs up is put on a team. The participants practice on the Shenendehowa school campus, and cheer on the weekends for the Plainsmen Jr. football team.

Soccer

For those with a slight European taste, who would rather play "the real football", there is both an adult and youth soccer organization. The Adult Recreational Soccer League is an informal league, where the motto is "friendly play for fun and fitness". There are no referees and no scorekeeping. The game ends either when the players are tired or when dusk makes it too difficult to see. The ARSL plays all four seasons - at the Clifton Common during the outdoor seasons and indoors at the Sportsplex of Halfmoon during the winter. While the warmer seasons are open mainly to Clifton Park residents, the indoor season opens to accept other residencies. The cost of joining is $20 per player per season. The Soccer Club, aimed at youth, is divided into recreational, travel and premier levels. The recreational level is as informal as the Adult Recreational Soccer League and a player need only sign up to join. The travel and premier levels, however, are competitive and hold tryouts to determine eligibility. In this club, the teams are separated by gender.

Lacrosse

Another local favorite is lacrosse, a game left over from the American Indians who once populated the Capital Region. The nearby town of Shenendehowa has a Youth Lacrosse Club that targets school children from 1st all the way to 12th grade. Teams and divisions are separated by gender and age and play year-round. The spring is dedicated to younger boys and girls, and the summer and fall feature two travel teams, regular and senior, open to all players who meet the age requirements. During the winter, lacrosse players who want to keep in shape can participate in indoor "skills and drills" and indoor tournaments for older players.

Rowing, Swimming & Diving

Dry land is not for everyone, so for those who scoff at landlubbers there is Shenendehowa Crew and the Knolls Swimming and Diving Club. Shenendehowa Crew is divided into modified, novice, and varsity. The modified grade is for learners from 6th to 8th grade. Novice is a slightly higher level of rowing, aimed either at freshmen at a 9th grade level or for any beginners in high school. A participant is a novice for one year, learning the basics and training to be on a competitive level, and afterwards rows on varsity. There is a master level for adult crews. Competitions are mainly in the capital region, so wistful landlubbers may go to watch races and cheer for their favorite crews. The Knolls Swimming and Diving Club is a non-competitive club whose main focus is teaching the how-to of swimming and diving. Diving is taught with all age groups together, but swimming is divided into an 8 and under group and a 9 and over group.

Some of us prefer frozen water, and for that interest there is the Clifton Park Youth Hockey Association. There are three divisions, based on age, mostly for younger children (including girls) to learn before they go on to high school or college level hockey.

Where to Play Sports In & Around Clifton Park

Lastly, for those of us who find ourselves more enthusiastic on the sidelines than on the fields, there are a number of local campuses with viable and impressive athletics programs, with basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, volleyball, water sports, etc. for men and women.

Siena College, the College of Saint Rose, and Union College are a few of the nearby campuses where locals can go and cheer for their college kids, alma maters, or just favorite sports. In addition, the University at Albany (UAlbany)'s campus is the summer training center for the NFL's New York Giants. From '96 to the present day (and on into the future, we hope) the Giants have been coming in July to workout on the campus fields, running drills and scrimmages during preseason. Visitors can pay $5 for a daily parking fee to go and watch their favorite team and players on the field, and devoted fans can pay $15 for a session-long pass to watch every day. Remember to know the preseason schedule well - there will be only an hour-long jogging exercise on days before a preseason game.

No matter your interest, for balls or water or sidelines, you are bound to find that there is a league or a club or at least a field for you to practice, play, or compete in nearly any sport imaginable. Bring your cleats, your helmet, and your jersey, and don't forget to hit the showers before you go home.