Backyard Beginnings to Community Comeback
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Ockrim · Executive Director
630-464-9498 · info@SundayFundaySports.org
“Backyard Beginnings to Community Comeback”
Hinsdale-Raised Dad & Son Relaunch 1-Hour Youth Sports League in Darien
DARIEN, IL — July 2025 — A decade ago, Michael Ockrim paced the sidelines of a friend’s backyard—barefoot, clipboard in hand—coaching a rag-tag flag-football game called Go Long. Eleven seasons and 3,000 local kids later, the beloved volunteer league retired.
Today Ockrim and his 18-year-old son Nicholas—a Hinsdale South High School graduate—are reviving the concept under a new nonprofit banner, Sunday Funday Sports (SFS). Their mission: one hour, one game, zero week-night practices so busy families can keep the fun in youth sports without the travel-team price tag.
“I was born and raised in Hinsdale, married a Hinsdale South alum, and watched all four of our kids grow up on these fields,” Michael says. “This league gives the next generation the same memories—minus the burnout parents feel today.”
Nicholas, a three-sport varsity starter who just signed to play volleyball for the two-time NJCAA-champion College of DuPage Chaparrals, will serve as SFS Program Director while studying locally.
“I never specialized, and it never hurt me,” Nicholas explains, citing research from ESPN pundit David Epstein’s book Range, which links multi-sport play to long-term athletic success and joy. “Kids need space to try everything—that’s what Sunday Funday offers.”
FAST FACTS
What: 9-week Sunday-only leagues in Flag Football (fall), Plastic-Bat “Wiffle” Ball (winter), Floor Hockey (spring)
Where: Hinsdale South High School fields & gym
Who: Co-ed, grades K-8, certified youth referees, and three paid student leaders (Executive, Program & Finance Directors)
Cost: $125 flat season fee (scholarships available)
Community Partners: Mighty Oak Athletic (uniform sponsor), Hinsdale District 86 (field rental), Players Health (insurance)
MEDIA ANGLES
Local roots, local return: Hinsdale grad brings nonprofit jobs and low-cost sports back home.
Youth-led management: Board seats and paid director roles for 18-24-year-olds build civic leadership.
Counter-trend story: One-hour league pushes back on $39 B youth-sports “professionalization” economy.
INTERVIEW & PHOTO OPS
Combine Day (Aug 24) – 200+ kids testing 40-yard dashes
Opening Sunday (Sept 7) – first whistle + ribbon-cutting with the Ockrim family
Behind-the-scenes with teen referees & Nicholas at practice-free “chalk talk”
For story inquiries, b-roll, or sideline credentials, contact info@SundayFundaySports.org.
About Sunday Funday Sports
Sunday Funday Sports NFP is a 501(c)(3) charity headquartered in Willowbrook, IL. We run one-hour, no-practice youth leagues that keep kids active, parents sane, and weekends sacred. Current programs include Flag Football, Floor Hockey, and Plastic-Bat Ball. Learn more at SundayFundaySports.org.
Additional details available on request
Quotes from former Go Long families
Data on youth-sport burnout vs. multi-sport participation
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Photos of Michael coaching barefoot in that original backyard?
Nicholas’s daily schedule balancing college classes, volleyball, and league management?
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