The Catto Youth Baseball League was founded in 2025 to provide youth in North and West Philadelphia with equitable access to quality grassroots baseball programming in their neighborhoods. The league features teams from four Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) facilities, each led by coaches participating in a year-long coach development pilot program jointly supported by PPR and the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative. Coaches are trained in positive youth development practices and will prioritize building safe, inclusive, and supportive environments in which their athletes can thrive. This spring season will be a chance for young ballplayers to learn to compete while developing fundamental baseball and life skills. 

Essential equipment and apparel are provided and no previous experience is required. The league is being supported by the Philadelphia Phillies' Nike RBI program and is coordinated by the Urban Youth Kings and Queens. It is named after local baseball legend and civil rights activist Octavius V. Catto, whose black Pythians Baseball Club played in the first racially-integrated game in baseball history in 1869, at what is now the Athletic Recreation Center.