Our Story

"This Stinks"

When Paul Hooker was coaching a Little League Baseball team one day in 1990, he turned to a little girl in a wheelchair and asked her how she was doing. Frustrated with watching from the sidelines as her brother played, the little girl replied, “this stinks.” That two-word answer sparked a mission to create a program that would enable children and young adults of all abilities to enjoy and participate in sports.

Driven by this newfound philosophy, Paul and his wife Margo began a grass-roots softball league near their hometown in Central New Jersey, called Challenged Youth Sports. Over the years, the small league grew from a single-sport season to a year-round organization with nearly a dozen sports, impacting hundreds of families in the region.

As the 25th anniversary of Challenged Youth Sports approached, a new mission became clear: serve the special needs community on a national scale. In 2014 the organization reinvented itself as RallyCap Sports, and set out to create regional chapters at universities across the nation. RallyCap Sports launched its first chapter at Bowling Green State University, establishing the model for future chapters. Now at 19 locations across 8 states (see our locations here), RallyCap Sports is bringing recreational sports opportunities to hundreds of people with special needs and providing live-changing volunteer opportunities to thousands of volunteers.

Our Program

Sport seasons are the operational foundation of our program. RallyCap Sports was created because children with special needs did not have a chance to participate in local sports leagues as other kids did. Although there are other events and activities each year, providing a sports league for children with special needs will always be our main focus.

What is a RallyCap Sports Season?

A sport season with RallyCap Sports consists of 4-8 weeks of activities centered on one sport. Each week, RallyPlayers learn the rules and skills of the sport through special drills and games. By the end of the season, RallyPlayers will also have the chance to participate in scrimmage/game-play to put their new skills into action. Sport seasons are all about healthy lifestyle, social integration, building confidence, and most importantly—FUN!

Elements of a Sports Season:

RallyPlayers register for the 4-8 week season. The fee covers facility and equipment costs, and a trophy at the end of the season.
Each RallyPlayer is matched up with a RallyPal for each of the sport sessions throughout the season – RallyPals often become a RallyPlayers best friend!
RallyPlayers and RallyPals stick together and participate in warm-ups, group drills, and scrimmaging.
One parent or guardian of each RallyPlayer must attend and be present for the entirety of each session (they are encouraged to sit, enjoy the time off, and cheer from the sidelines).

Our Vision & Mission

Our Vision

A world where people with special needs can share in the joy of sports and community.

Our Mission

To provide recreational sports for children and young adults with special needs through a volunteer-driven community.

RallyCap Sports Philosophies

We Play For Smiles

Our sports and events are geared towards creating a safe environment for people of all abilities to have fun and flourish within our three-pillar mission. RallyChapters across the nation should be places where everyone feels welcome and has a blast; competition is not our objective.

Celebrate Every Victory

We believe everyone should be told “great job!” and “you rock!”. One of our favorite ways to support and encourage every RallyPlayer is to reward them with their very own trophy! At the end of each sport season, there is a trophy ceremony—trust us—it’s one of the most special parts of our program!

All Abilities Are Welcome

At the heart of RallyCap Sports is our vision that children and young adults with special needs have the opportunity to participate in and enjoy sports just like everyone else! To create an inclusionary sports program, we open the door to children and young adults with abilities and special needs of all kinds. We want every RallyPlayer to feel like they belong and to have fun.

Building Communities

At RallyCap Sports, we believe that sports have the power to ignite change in our local communities across the country. Through acceptance, we aim to challenge everyone to uncover a wider range of human abilities and to come together as we unite as human beings.