Matthews Athletic & Recreation Association

⚾ FREE HIT NIGHT — TOMORROW & FRIDAY! ⚾

MARA Families — we’ve added two FREE Hit Nights with PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS at D-BAT Indian Trail!

📅 Tomorrow & Friday
💰 Completely FREE
⚾ Professional instruction

To maximize the amount of individual instruction each player receives, space is limited.

Players are encouraged to attend the session designated for their age group, but you are eligible to sign up for either night.

Spots are limited — sign up now!

👉 SIGN UP HERE: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=432803&stype=-8&sTG=23&sView=day&sLoc=0

Shutout win for our Colts!

Our 11U MARA Colts Blue came ready to play this past Saturday, taking down the Odell Eagles 28-0! 💪

Way to play Colts! Keep working hard and bringing that MARA pride every week!

🏀MARA Basketball Registration is OPEN!🏀

Winter Basketball registration is officially open for boys and girls ages 5-14. MARA is a teaching league for all skill levels, focused on learning the game, building confidence, and giving kids plenty of opportunities to play and have fun!

We need YOU, too! We are currently looking for two Basketball Co-commissioners and Head Coaches for the upcoming season. If you love basketball, working with kids, or simply want to make a difference at MARA, we would love to have you join the team.

🔗Register today using the QR code or by clicking here: https://www.marasports.org/Default.aspx?tabid=842258.

💡Interested in learning more about being a coach or co-commissioner? Email Hazel at [email protected].

✨MARA Sponsor Spotlight: CPI Security✨

For more than 35 years, CPI Security has been helping protect homes and families across the Southeast, but their commitment to community goes far beyond home security.

CPI continues to show up for the communities they serve, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support of MARA and the thousands of families who call our fields home each year.

🫶Thank you, CPI Security, for investing in our community, supporting our young athletes, and most importantly, for caring about the safety and well-being of the families who make this community so special.

We are grateful to have CPI Security as part of our MARA family!

👉For more info about CPI and all they do to protect our community, click here: https://cpisecurity.com/.

🏈FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON!🏈

Our MARA Colts 11U White team hit the field for the first time this season, taking on the PAL Panthers!

It was great to see our Colts back competing and kicking off another season of MARA Colts Football.

We are excited to watch this team grow this season!

Since 1956, Matthews Athletic & Recreation Association has been a place where generations of young athletes have come to learn, compete, make friends, and create memories. Seventy years later, thousands of athletes and families continue to call MARA home.

We are very excited to celebrate this milestone with a 70th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and even more excited to share this special moment with our friends and community partners at the Matthews Area Chamber of Commerce.

📅 Thursday, September 10
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Ribbon Cutting at 11:30 AM
📍 Arthur Goodman Memorial Park

👉 Register here: https://www.matthewschamber.org/event-detail?e=CV7tYD7KNz9Y1egJh2BXjw2.

We hope our families, alumni, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, community partners, and friends will join us as we celebrate the people who have shaped MARA over the past 70 years.

🎉Everyone is welcome to come celebrate with us!

✨MARA Sponsor Spotlight: Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A.✨

For more than 100 years, CEENTA has been committed to caring for families across the Carolinas. What began in 1923 as the Charlotte, Ear, Ear and Throat Hospital has grown into one of the largest multispecialty practices of its kind on the East Coast, providing comprehensive eye, ear, nose, and throat care for children and adults throughout our region.

CEENTA’s commitment to our community extends well beyond the care they provide. For many years, CEENTA has been a wonderful supporter of MARA and our young athletes across multiple sports. Their continued partnership helps us provide opportunities for kids to learn, compete, build friendships, and create memories at MARA.

🫶We are incredibly grateful to CEENTA for continuing to invest in our mission, our athletes, and youth sports in our community.

👉Want to learn more about CEENTA and the care they provide for the whole family? Click here: https://www.ceenta.com/.

⚾ LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR FALL BALL! ⚾

Registration closes TODAY, and only a few spots remain in most divisions! ⏳

🔥 Remaining Spots:
• T-Ball (3–5U): 5 spots
• Coach Pitch (6–8U): 6 spots
• Minor League (9–10U): WAITLIST
• Majors (11–12U): 3 spots
• Juniors (13–14U): 3 spots
• Seniors (15–16U): 1 spot

Register HERE: https://www.marasports.org/Default.aspx?tabid=842253

Assessments are tomorrow and the season begins next week!

Don't miss out on fall baseball! Register today before the remaining spots are filled.

⚾ Registration closes tonight!

✨MARA Sponsor Spotlight: Harris Teeter✨

We are very excited and proud to shine our spotlight on Harris Teeter, a longtime supporter of MARA programs, athletes, and families. With roots right here in the Charlotte area and headquarters in Matthews, Harris Teeter has been part of our local community for generations.

Their mission is to "enrich lives: one meal, one family, one associate, and one community at a time," and we are grateful that their commitment to community includes MARA. Over the years, Harris Teeter's support has helped us continue providing opportunities for thousands of local kids to get on the field and court, learn the value of teamwork, create memories along the way, and simply enjoy the sports they love.

As we celebrate 70 years of serving our community in2026, we are especially thankful for longtime partners who have been part of our story along the way. Strong youth sports programs are built not only by coaches and volunteers, but also by local businesses that believe in investing in the families and communities they serve.

🫶Thank you, Harris Teeter, for your longtime partnership, your commitment to the community of Matthews, and for your continued support of MARA!

Keep up with everything happening at MARA!

Click the link below to catch up on important registration dates, upcoming events, sponsor news, and more!

https://conta.cc/4g1pokW

MARA Monthly Newsletter - August 2026 Email from Matthews Athletic & Recreation Association MARA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: August 2026     PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Dear MARA Families, Volunteers, Coaches, Staff, and Community Partners, Summer vacati