Players from the Compadres and Cronies gather at the pitcher's mound for a prayer before the start of a Pathway Sports softball game at Coronado School Park in Catalina.

Photos by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

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A Northwest Side organization is continuing its mission of bringing sports leagues, and a sense of community, to the area.

The nonprofit group, Pathway Sports, is a division of Pathway of Hope Four Square Church.

Throughout the year Pathway conducts a men's softball league, three-on-three basketball tournaments, bowling leagues and a golf tournament. The latter three are open to both men and women, though only men have signed up for the basketball thus far.

"We believe sports are a good way to spend time with the family and build relationships with people from the community," said Jeff Garcia, director of Pathway Sports, which was founded in 2005 and started its first season of softball that August.

"We had a group of guys who wanted to play in a softball league but couldn't find one in the Northwest, so we created one," Garcia said.

The softball league has two seasons — one starting in August and one that starts in December.

Games are played on Sundays at Coronado Elementary School, 3401 E. Wilds Road, and all equipment is provided. That's also where the church meets every Sunday.

The winter season is six games long and has six teams. Each team is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs at the end of the season. The fall season is a bit more competitive. It also features six teams, but the season is 10 games long. At the end of the season only the top four teams make the playoffs.

"It's great. I would recommend that anyone interested in having a good time come out and play with us," said Chris Dahl, a softball player.

If someone wants to get involved, the cost is minimal. The fall season fee is $45, and the winter season fee is $20. For their money, players get a shirt and a guarantee they will play in all the games. The cost also covers the hiring of an Amateur Softball Association-certified umpire, and the facilities.

"At the end of the year we tend to break even or lose a little money, but for the fun we have it's worth it," said Johnny Johnson, pastor at the church and manager of the Compadres. The other teams are the Cronies, Dreamers, Four Squares, Path Finders and Apostles.

"Each of these names symbolizes a value of our church," Johnson said. "For example, the Compadres symbolize building friendships, while the Dreamers symbolize the ability to dream and become closer to God."

The group isn't just for adults, Garcia said. "We also do sports-related activities for the children while the parents are playing."

The activities include sports workshops and games in which children earn points they can redeem for prizes.

"We noticed in the first year that the kids were kind of bored and a bit unsupervised while watching games, so we thought we'd come up with some activities that benefited them," Johnson said.

During the games a concession stand sells food and drinks, with all profits going to the church's youth ministries.

Besides softball, Pathway is making a difference through its three-on-three basketball tournaments, held four times a year. The last tournament raised enough money for members of the church to build a home for a needy family in Mexico.

And although Pathway Sports is a church organization, people don't have to be members of the church to participate.

"We just want to be a blessing to the community. There is no pressure to attend services," Johnson said.