“The problem is that the structure is set up in such a way that if you have the resources and the talent, you have options within the club system,” said Sebastien Dubois, owner of i9 Sports, an organization with 4.5 million participating children across the country that began offering programs in Lamorinda in 2024.

The name “i9 Sports” means “i to the power of nine” and represents the nine key differences in the company’s approach to youth sports: imaginative, innovative, interactive, inclusive, passionate, inspiring, educational, insightful and inclusive.

The goal of i9 Sports is to get boys and girls involved in sports regardless of their athletic ability. “Every child has value within them, so we not only highlight their athletic ability, but we recognize whatever they bring to the sport and teach them sports values ​​every day,” DuBois said. “For example, we talk to the kids about positivity – always having a positive attitude and encouraging your teammates, and we honor individuals with awards for athletic achievement. I’m a huge fan of competitive sports, but what we’re providing with i9 is more opportunities by opening doors for more kids, teaching them life lessons through sports and trying to help kids be active for life.”

The i9 program is still in its early stages in Lamorinda, using the fields at Campolindo High School. “Our main sports in Lamorinda are soccer, flag football and baseball for kids under seven, but we will be adding a number of other sports in the future,” DuBois said. “We offer three sports at once throughout the year, so when the kids are playing one sport, they get to see the other sports, which may lead them to try that sport next season. We are fully operational now and want to get more kids involved in our programs because the more kids we have, the better the experience and the more lives we touch.”

For DuBois, there are too many bad examples from athletes and their coaches, even at the lower levels, and that’s exactly what he wants to address early on in i9’s participants. “Our mission is to help our kids succeed in life through sports, and where that can really make a difference is by teaching a different sportsmanship value each week.”

The children are between three and 14 years old and are divided into age groups 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and older depending on the number of children. Many organizations do not work with three-year-olds because they are easily distracted. The American Developmental Model for Youth Sports was developed, among other things, to support age-appropriate instruction.

“Age-appropriate instruction is definitely one of the biggest differentiators,” said DuBois. “Our staff and trainers are trained to work with this specific age group. All of our programs are based on scientific evidence about child rearing.”

The program also involves parents and we expect the lessons learned to carry over into their lives outside of sport. “Besides sport, we get the kids and their parents together and discuss the sportsmanship values ​​of the day,” DuBois said. “One day might be about respect, making sure the kids and parents know what respect means and that is fundamental to the experience we provide, and then it’s back to training. We want the lessons learned to go beyond the field and into their families and schools.”

The lessons learned from wins and losses are valuable to i9 Sports as well. “Our values ​​are not only humility and respect, but also determination and teamwork. We call it healthy competition and at the end there will be awards for the team that finishes first,” DuBois said. “I got involved here because I believe in the model and more community-based programs that put the needs of the kids first, and secondly, I really wanted to get involved in the community where my kids grew up.”

Registration for the fall season has already begun and costs $239.00. Each session lasts seven weeks, with practices and games on the same day, which is convenient for parents. Parents can register their children at www.i9sports.com.