Help kids build skills, confidence, and a love of play!
If you love sports, enjoy working with kids, and want a job where you can make a positive impact in your community, the YMCA wants to meet you!
As a Sports Program Assistant, you’ll help bring Y sports programs to life—from youth clinics, camps, and leagues to specialty programs like Ninja Zone. You’ll coach, encourage, organize, and jump in wherever needed to create experiences that are safe, welcoming, active, and FUN.
You don’t have to be an expert in every sport. We’re looking for someone who brings positive energy, enjoys helping others learn, and believes that teamwork and good sportsmanship matter just as much as the final score.
What You’ll Do
Coach & Encourage
- Lead or assist with youth sports clinics, camps, and leagues in sports such as soccer, basketball, and T-ball.
- Teach basic skills, rules, teamwork, and sportsmanship in a fun and supportive way.
- Adapt instruction and encouragement to participants’ ages and skill levels.
- Be a positive role model and help young people develop confidence, teamwork, self-respect, and a love of being active.
Keep the Action Going
- Help with league setup, game-day operations, scorekeeping, officiating, and equipment setup and teardown.
- Support coaches and referees so games and programs run smoothly and follow Y guidelines.
- Transport, organize, set up, and maintain sports equipment and supplies.
- Assist with equipment inventory and distribution.
- Maintain accurate attendance for classes and drop-in programs.
- Help share and distribute information about upcoming YMCA programs.
Create a Great Experience
- Welcome and communicate positively with participants, parents, coaches, volunteers, and fellow staff.
- Supervise children closely and encourage everyone to participate.
- Help create an environment where participants of all backgrounds and abilities feel included, supported, and valued.
- Bring enthusiasm, patience, and a team-first attitude to every program.
Safety Comes First
Creating a safe environment for young people is one of our most important responsibilities. In this role, you will:
- Follow Y program standards, policies, and procedures.
- Respond appropriately to medical, behavioral, and emergency situations.
- Immediately report incidents, injuries, concerns, or unsafe behaviors to supervisors.
- Follow all Y policies and procedures designed to protect youth from abuse, including requirements related to screening, training, supervision, and responding to concerns or allegations.
- Uphold the YMCA’s commitment to protecting youth and follow all mandated reporting requirements.
Why Work at the Y?
At the Y, sports are about more than learning how to dribble, kick, throw, or score. They’re an opportunity to help people build confidence, make friends, practice teamwork, stay active, and discover what they can achieve.
You’ll be part of a mission-driven organization committed to strengthening our community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
If you’re dependable, energetic, ready to learn, and excited to help create great experiences for kids and families, we’d love to hear from you.
Our Commitment to Equity
Everything we do at the YMCA is based on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or identity, diverse abilities, age, religion, socioeconomic status, or other statuses or identities.
Our work focuses on eliminating barriers to access, reducing disparities in health, providing educational support, supporting working families, and helping grow the next generation of community change makers.
Bring your energy. Share your love of sports. Make a difference at the Y.
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Minimum Age: 16, to work with adult leagues 18
- Previous experience in playing or coaching youth sports preferred
- Strong communication skills with youth and adults is essential
- Ability to relate and work effectively with children and diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.
- Completion of Child Abuse Prevention, CPR, First Aid, AED, and Bloodborne Pathogens training before working with children
- Availability for evenings and/or weekends
WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- The employee needs sufficient strength, agility and mobility to perform essential functions and to safely supervise program activities in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a computer for extended periods of time and be able to communicate using a computer and phone/smart device.
- The employee frequently is required to sit and reach, and must be able to move around the work environment.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 60 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Skills Required
- Minimum age 16 (18 to work with adult leagues)
- Completion of Child Abuse Prevention, CPR, First Aid, AED, and Bloodborne Pathogens training before working with children
- Strong communication skills with youth and adults
- Ability to relate and work effectively with children and diverse groups
- Availability for evenings and/or weekends
- Previous experience playing or coaching youth sports
- Sufficient strength, agility, and mobility to supervise activities and occasionally lift up to 60 pounds
- Ability to use a computer and phone/smart device for communication and recordkeeping
What We Do
The Whatcom Family YMCA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit social services organization dedicated to Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility, aiming to strengthen the community through programs for the spirit, mind, and body.





