i9 Sports Association gives hundreds of disadvantaged children the chance to play.

Brandon, FL – With the tremulous economy taking a toll on parents’ discretionary spending, a record number of families turned to the i9 Sports Association, the not-for-profit arm of national youth sports franchise, i9 Sports, to secure the funding needed to ensure that their children can play the sports they love.

Families’ applications for funding increased more than 100% in the last year. In 2009, the i9 Sports Association awarded 216 grants to families who did not have the means to cover their children’s enrollment fees, up from 98 in 2008.