Summer basketball league on Peninsula gives girls a chance to refine their skills

A Peninsula summer league created to give high school girls a chance to play basketball outside of the school year celebrates its third year of competition this month.

The program is providing young women a chance to improve their skills on the court and gain important life lessons from sports and teamwork.

"I could see that girls needed a safe space to play, meaning like they needed a little bit of structure and they needed to have a female presence around to feel comfortable in the gym," said Ariel Castillo, the assistant director of the Barry Carr Sports Leagues at the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula .

The need to nurture interest and talent in sports for girls comes as the popularity of women's basketball specifically has seen a significant increase both at the college level and the WNBA. But access remains an issue. and one of the major tenets of the girls summer league started by Castillo is making sure anyone can participate by making it free.

"We're open to everybody and we're a safe space." she told KPIX. "Our background doesn't matter. We're all here to play basketball. It doesn't matter how much money my parents make. It doesn't matter that maybe I'm a newcomer to the United States."

Castillo's love of basketball started early thanks to her father's long career in coaching, which he continues today. While she initially wanted to coach boys basketball, she realized the impact she could have on girls.

The lessons that come from high school competition are so valuable to all students and the ability to play others they wouldn't normally come across during the school year makes it even more of a meaningful experience.

"I think that there are so many intangibles that you learn from sports," Castillo said. "How to battle back from adversity; like, your team's not always going to win. And how your coaches lead you through that process, and how your teammates have your back."

The program continues to expand as the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula grows north in San Mateo County. More students from different high schools are joining the league in its third year. Games are played on Tuesday and Thursdays in June and July.

"We're here for the same purpose, we're here to get better and we're here to compete," she said.

You can learn more about the league at the official website .