About Goldenball
Goldenball Youth Basketball League Mission
The purpose of Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R) Goldenball youth basketball program is to encourage our youth, regardless of ability, to learn the fundamentals of the game. Develop a sense of fair play and good sportsmanship. Experience the satisfaction of team play and individual cooperation. To have fun and enjoy playing the game of Basketball. Goldenball is a recreation program based on good sportsmanship and the development of basketball fundamentals.
Goldenball is a team registration-based program for 3rd-6th grade. We rely on volunteer coaches to form and register their team. We take a limited number of teams for each grade and a waitlist will be formed once we meet the capacity our league can accommodate.
Registration
We are excited for the upcoming season! Team registration has ended for the 23-24 season. First half schedules will be posted Wednesday, January 3rd. Frist half will consist of the first 3 weeks of league play, Saturday, January 13th - January 27th. There is no break between the halves. Second half will begin February 3rd for the remaining four weeks of league play. Please have your team rosters completed and emailed into the Sports Office prior to the start of league games. Email: Blaine.rethmeier@portlandoregon… and Jennifer.rounseville@portlandor…
GOLDENBALL SECOND HALF GAME SCHEDULES -
Second half starts February 17th and runs through March 9th. Practice Permits will run through Friday, March 8th.
3/2/24 - All games are on as scheduled.
Coaching
Volunteer coaching is a big task, and our program could not run smoothly without your efforts. Here are some tips for keeping your team organized. For more detailed information see the attached guidelines and league rules.
- Have a parent meeting prior to the start of the season. Assign designated parents to help keep score during games as well as be the home book when scheduled as the home team/visiting team.
- When you obtain your score sheets from either the coaches’ packet or online, fill it out with your players’ names and make 8-10 copies, so that you have them filled out prior to the start of each game.
- Team roster, which is included in your coaches’ packet, must be filled out and submitted by email to the Sports Office prior to the start of the first game.
NOTE: If you plan on coaching more than one team, you are required to have an assistant coach for each team. The assistant coach must attend one of the coaches’ meetings. We will continue to try and work with scheduling issues, however, with the rising number of teams, it has become more difficult to accommodate requests. Coaching three or more teams is not permitted.
League Play and Practice
Seven games played on Saturdays, January 13-February 24, 2024. The league is divided into two halves, the first 3 weeks, followed by a realignment if necessary, and no break between halves. Games are played at various Portland Public Schools and Parks Community Centers. Game sites may vary from the first half to the second half. (Look under practice description for practice location list).
Jerseys: Our program does not supply jerseys as part of your team fee. We do require a minimum of matching t-shirts with 6” numbers on the back (please no 3-digit numbers on jerseys). If looking to purchase jerseys, we provide a flyer in the coach’s packet of a local company to go through. Please have your players obtain shorts without pockets to comply with the National Federation of State High School Associations rules and for the safety of all players.
Ball Sizes: for the 23-24 season we have made some changes to the ball sizes per age group. Please see the updated chart below.
| Grade | Gender | Ball size |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Boys | 27.5 |
| 3rd | Girls | 27.5 |
| 4th | Boys | 27.5 |
| 4th | Girls | 27.5 |
| 5th | Boys | 28.5 |
| 5th | Girls | 28.5 |
| 6th | Boys | 29.5 |
| 6th | Girls | 28.5 |
Practice - 11/28/23 - practice has been extended through the week of Dec. 18th. No practice during the holiday break.
- Once your team is registered, you may inquire for a practice permit by contacting the PP&R Sports Office: jennifer.rounseville@portlandor… or blaine.rethmeier@portlandoregon.gov. We guarantee one 55-minute practice time slot per week, per registered team.We have limited sites at Portland Public Schools. A gym list will be included in your coach’s packet.
- Practice times are available Monday-Friday: 6:00-6:55pm, 7:00-7:55pm, and 8:00-8:55pm. Practice permits at most locations will begin on November 1, 2023. Contact the sports office at 503-823-5124 or 503-5126 to book a practice time.
- Once you obtain a practice permit from the PP&R Sports Office, please contact the school office pertaining to the permit to inquire about any special gym/school entry instructions.
- There is no practice if the school is closed for any reason.
- No spectators are allowed at practice.
- Practice times will not be issued to teams that are not registered in the 2023-2024 Golden Ball season.