About City League
We are a St. Louis-based, locally-operated 501(c)3 nonprofit on a mission to develop the next generation of youth through engagement in sports and extracurriculars. Guided by our core values of Equity, Health, Connection and Movement, we put in the work to create sustainable sports leagues for all the schools, students and families we serve.
The mission of City League is to develop youth through school sports and extracurriculars.
Sports have the power to change lives—but youth sports are on the decline. We want to reverse the trend by meeting the core needs of successful youth school sports leagues.
In 2018, 38% of kids ages 6-12 played an organized sport on a regular basis, down from 45% a decade earlier. After the pandemic, 44% of families said their community-based program has either closed, merged or returned with limited capacity.
Sports transform players, but they also build camaraderie and togetherness at school. From jersey days to pep rallies, sports fuel positive culture in a way that helps all students thrive. By directly addressing barriers like program policy and scheduling, City League can help make middle school sports accessible, sustainable, easy and fun for everyone involved.
From our Founder, Allison Cousins
“The heart of the ‘why’ behind City League is that I want to create transformable opportunities for kids and help them find their thing. Middle school is the most crucial time to do this—it’s when relationships matter the most, and when connections can be made with mentors in the community.”
Impact by the Numbers
City League launched in 2021 through Lafayette Preparatory Academy in St. Louis. In our 2021-2022 pilot year, we served 12 middle schools and 600 students across 4 sports, and we’re growing every day.
10 Schools
created new athletics programs with City League during the ’21-’22 season.
87%
of students participated in a sport for the first time.
83.87%
of students attending partner schools were students of color.
81.78%
of students qualified for free and reduced lunch.
Based on our impact survey, participating students reported improvement in academic motivation, classroom behavior, community leadership, school attendance, peer and social relationships, confidence and feelings of self-worth.
The People Running City League
Our founding team is made of educators and community champions who are passionate about seeing our region thrive. We’ve seen the impact that sports make on people’s lives, and we’re here to make St. Louis a more equitable youth sports city.
Allison Cousins; Founder & Commissioner
Allison is an educator and entrepreneur. Most recently, Allison worked as the Physical Education Teacher and Athletic Director at Lafayette Preparatory Academy (LPA) where she founded City League, formerly known as the St. Louis Charter Athletics League. Allison left LPA to pursue building City League into a nonprofit organization. In addition, Allison is the CEO of a St. Louis Tech Startup, Approach Dating; a dating app to find your person, in person.
Dr. Susan Marino; Director of Operations
Dr. Marino is a builder of healthy organizations designed to provide students of all ages access to opportunities in support of their full development. Her work with City League advances this mission, as she will build the organizational infrastructure from which we can develop youth through sports and extracurriculars. Susan effectively balances strategy and vision, activating people to effectively collaborate toward achieving shared goals. She has served as a Middle and High School Language Arts Teacher, a school leader for a network of alternative schools, and the founding Head of School and Executive Director for Lafayette Preparatory Academy.
Corey Quinn; Board President
Former President of De Smet Jesuit High School and De La Salle Middle School, Dr. Quinn is an entrepreneurial, innovative, and visionary non-profit leader with proven success in transforming organizational culture, increasing revenues through fundraising, and enrolling diverse stakeholders around a clear and compelling vision of excellence.
Mark Spewak, Founding Team Member
Owner of Spewak Training. President of Spewak Racing. 10 years experience in the running industry, event planning, and coaching. 2018 Go! St. Louis Athlete of the Year.
Pooya Pourak, Founding Team Member; (Fundraising Committee Chair)
Co-founder and CEO of MatchNice, a philanthropic tech startup on a mission to connect the nonprofit ecosystem and maximize social impact. Pooya is the host of The Nonprofit Lab, a podcast dedicated to the journey of discovery in the nonprofit sector that challenges the status quo and asks how we can all be a bigger part of social change. 14(+) years leading digital transformation across business, government, and now the nonprofit sector.
Lance Thurman, Founding Team Member; (Marketing Committee Chair)
For more than 20 years Lance has worked as a professional photographer and visual storyteller. During his career he has gained experience and excelled in every aspect of professional photography including, but not limited to: fine art photography, event photography, and portraiture. Lance provides service to hundreds of businesses, non-profits, and individuals. He also teaches international and domestic photography workshops to other professional photographers. These workshops have led to opportunities to document the people and landscapes in a variety of countries. His combination of technical expertise and people skills has been key to establishing and maintaining a strong client-base, producing outstanding finished products, and has led to a stellar reputation for effectively capturing the visual narrative.
Clayton Delaney, Founding Team Member; (Program Committee Chair)
Clayton Delaney is the Founder and Executive Director of Free Soccer America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students learn, grow and excel in the game of soccer and life. Previously, Clayton has served as a Physical Education teacher at St. Louis Catholic Academy for seven years and over 20 years as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor for the YMCA in St. Louis. In addition, he is certified by the International Sports Sciences Association in Sports Conditioning and holds a Class D license from USA Soccer National. Clayton Delaney is a graduate of Jennings Senior High School where he received letterman honors in Basketball and he also attended Brown Mackie College on a sports scholarship. He is the proud father of one daughter Ayla Delaney who also excels in sports, academics and soccer.
Hear From Our Existing School Partners
My name is Trisha Anderson, I am the Athletic Director for City Garden Montessori School. Bringing sports to our school through this program has brought a bigger sense of teamwork, compassion, and a greater sense of community. My favorite memory from last year was when one of my basketball players turned to me and said, “This is so fun, I am so glad we are doing this, thank you!” With a big smile on his face. I am looking forward to expanding this in my school.
– Trisha Anderson
City Garden Athletic Director
This league has allowed our students to compete in an organized, St. Louis City Charter School League that gives our students a great sense of ownership in their ability to become student-athletes.
– Nicholas Howard
Gateway Science Academy Athletic Director
The City League has been incredible for Kairos Academies. It has allowed our school, in its early years, to provide opportunities for our students outside of academics. This involvement has given our students a chance to share their passions with staff. In a time when community gathering was limited, the league has given Kairos a chance to develop deep relationships with our community and provide a foundation to build on into the future. The Kairos students, staff, and families are grateful for this wonderful league.
– Erik Drehs
Kairos Academies Athletic Director
The Charter Schools City League has been absolutely critical in getting students involved with and interested in athletics! With everything going on in the world, sports are definitely an outlet for students and an essential part of growing into the outstanding individuals they will one day be. I cannot state enough how great this league was at providing students opportunities to play the game the right way, as well as create a platform for our young athletes to shine!
– David Roberto
Former Kairos Academies Athletic Director