The Ocean/Monmouth County Challenger Sports League is designed to offer a socialization opportunity through athletic participation between disabled students with their non-disabled peers. Students are eligible to participate on the challenger team when they are in seventh grade. Students with disabilities can participate until the age 21. Non-disabled student-athletes will serve as “buddies” to their disabled peers. The student-athletes will be students who are currently participating on the non-challenger athletic team during that season. The role of the buddy is to offer encouragement, direction, and assistance to the students with disabilities who are participating on the challenger team.
This league is the first of its kind in our area - a middle and high school level challenger league which has been embraced by high schools in Ocean and Monmouth counties. It enables students with disabilities who would not ordinarily participate in typical middle school and high school sports, to now have the opportunity to play in a competitive sports league.
This league is co-ed and plays football and soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring. We will also encourage students who are enrolled in regular middle school and high school sports to volunteer as “buddies”. This creates an opportunity for our challenged students to interact with their typical age appropriate peers.
We are extremely excited about offering opportunities for our most challenged students to participate in competitive sports, while proudly representing their respective middle schools and high schools. For more information, email us at ChallengerLeague@poac.net .
Participating School Districts:
| Barnegat |
| Brick |
| Central Regional |
| Jackson |
| Lacey Township |
| Lakewood |
| Manchester Township |
| Matawan Aberdeen Regional |
| Pinelands Regional |
| Southern Regional |