A Lifetime of Memories: Host A YD Red Sox Player!
We are fortunate to have families willing to share their homes with players for the baseball season. Their generosity is essential to our ability to showcase the talents of our country’s best ballplayers. The welcoming atmosphere and community spirit our host families create fosters the personal growth and best performance of young collegiate athletes aspiring to become professionals. Talk to any host family, and you’ll be instantly affected by the contagious enthusiasm of their experience, getting to know the players on a more personal level.
As Dr. Dorria Di Manno has shared, “being a host family brings each game to a whole new level. Every game is better – more fun, more engaging, and more exciting when you have this connection. You feel like you belong to this unique part of baseball history.”
So, I’m interested! What are the details and requirements?
The Match The Y-D Red Sox Housing Coordinator is in charge of housing assignments, determining which player will live with each host family. Essential information, supplied by players in a questionnaire, is combined with our knowledge of our host families to make the best possible match. Players soon become part of the family! In some cases, players reside with families with younger children, and they are keenly aware of their obligation to set a good example.
Players Have Responsibilities:
- Upon arrival, players and families discuss the use of house facilities (kitchen, laundry room, telephone, WIFI, parking spaces, use of pool, etc.) and gain a good understanding of the “house rules.” Host families and players from past seasons all agree that open and frequent communication is key to the shared good experience of the season!
- Mutual respect includes gaining prior permission from hosts to invite guests to the house, including girlfriends and out of town family. Players are asked to always show consideration, advising their host of their whereabouts, keeping noise to a minimum, and adhering to the curfew established by the coaching staff.
- They understand that they are guests in a home that truly supports them!
Host Family Responsibilities:
All host families are interviewed, and their homes are visited to ensure that they can offer appropriate accommodations. Housing coordinators do our best to match players and families so that everyone has the best and most positive experience possible! Throughout the ten-week YD season, players and host families get to know each other well, develop respect and understanding, and have fun!
Basic Requirements:
- Host families provide all meals after away games and provisions for breakfast. (This is covered in player housing costs as required by the NCAA) Host families receive a stipend of $130.00 per week to defray food costs.
- Host families also provide a bedroom with privacy, bathroom, laundry facilities, kitchen access, WIFI, and a parking space. Host families are not expected to provide accommodations for a player’s family or friends, and they cannot house any player discharged from or released by the team.
- Since host families are not responsible for transportation, players are greatly encouraged to bring a car for the season. Players without their own transportation will carpool with other players and coaches.
- Host families are expected to impose and abide by the players’ midnight curfew policy as directed by the coaching staff.
Beyond the Basics:
Families and players interact daily, learning more about each other and themselves. Our young men hail from across the country, and there is much for us to learn about what life is like in the different hometowns of Texas, Oregon, Georgia, or even British Columbia! Most players have never been to our area, and they experience the joy of a Cape Cod summer. Host families show players around the community, highlighting favorite beaches, restaurants, shops, and entertainment. Imagine their first bite of a” Lobstah” Roll, a walk on the Dennis flats, a whale watch out of Provincetown, or a game at Fenway!
Jim Gillen, who with his wife Sheila has hosted players for many years says, “the most important thing is, we’re bringing to Cape Cod college players who are strangers to this area, and even to the east coast, and they’re growing. And we’re watching them grow, we’re watching them become part of the system. And we’re getting to meet them, their families, and watching them succeed at what they’re doing.” The Gillens have had the pleasure of watching many of the players they’ve hosted advance to Major League play!
Are You Ready to “Make Memories for a Lifetime”?
Want to Learn More?
Contact: Jeanne Hisey (215) 850-1752 jhisey@ydredsox.com
Erin Burlingame (774) 836-2077 eburlingame@ydredsox.com
