When teenager Matthew McCauley noticed a gap in adaptive sports, he stepped up to the plate and launched the Champions League, celebrating the spirit of inclusive sportsmanship. The program has brought joy to dozens of families and recently earned national attention.
REDONDO BEACH CITY LIFESTYLE: WHAT SPARKED YOUR IDEA FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE?
MATTHEW McCAULEY: The idea to start Champions came from the VIP program at Alta Vista, a special needs soccer league. I would see them playing games pretty often and I thought it was awesome, but also wondered why a league for baseball wasn’t around.
RBCL: HOW DID YOU GO FROM IDEA TO IMPLEMENTATION?
MATTHEW: It began with me going to a VIP program game with flyers. The word got around and we had 5-10 players for our first game. For field time, my Dad talked to our local league Redondo Sunset to use one of their fields. For volunteers, I initially went to a lot of my friends, teammates, and classmates. As the program grew, we reached out to RUHS clubs and beyond. We get volunteers from all over the South Bay. We now need at least 20 volunteers at each game. Sometimes that’s a nerve-wracking process. You never want to disappoint and not have a buddy for a player. But we are blessed here in the South Bay. We always end up getting enough volunteers.
RBCL: HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
MATTHEW: The program is two seasons every year, fall and spring. Our most recent season was our first time doing eight games (last season was six). That went pretty well so I think each season will now have eight games. Buddies are volunteers, typically high school students, but anyone is welcome to sign up. We try to have the same buddy with the same player. The games themselves are closest to a T-ball game in format where every player will hit and run the bases. Players can choose to hit off of either the tee, underhand or overhand toss. The last batter of each inning hits a home-run and runs around the bases. At home plate, all of the volunteers form a tunnel for players to run through as they score. It’s pretty cool.
RBCL: WHAT MEMORIES STAND OUT?
MATTHEW: My favorite memories are always seeing players go from the tee to underhand toss. It’s a pretty big hurdle, and to see players overcome it and improve at the sport is always impressive and inspiring. Another favorite moment is when a player hits a really awful pitch of mine that I didn’t expect them to get. It’s always a good surprise that gets me pretty hyped up.
RBCL: HOW HAS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHANGED THE LIVES OF THE PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR PARENTS?
MATTHEW: Beyond just seeing the many smiles at games, I’ll hear about how the players look forward to games from their parents. Knowing that for many of these kids, if the Champions program didn’t exist, they would not be playing baseball at all. That is a great motivator to do better and offer more games. Getting to give others something to look forward to every week is extremely gratifying and one of the best compliments we can ask for.
RBCL: HOW DID IT FEEL TO BE INTERVIEWED BY THE TODAY SHOW THAT AIRED ON MAY 26?
MATTHEW: The TODAY Show interview was pretty awesome. I never would have thought we would one day end up in that situation, and to be sitting there talking in front of a TV camera was pretty surreal.
RBCL: WHAT HAS BEEN THE OUTCOME OF RECEIVING NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION?
MATTHEW: We heard from a lot of family and friends. That was cool. We also heard from a few groups of people interested in starting a similar program in their area and they were mostly from different states. That was wild. It was crazy to see our program have some influence in places so far away.
RBCL: WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE?
MATTHEW: The Champions League will continue to run while I’m away at college. I’ve appointed some trustworthy juniors from RUHS to keep it going. I also hope that the league expands, maybe starting a branch in Manhattan or Hermosa.
RBCL: WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO COLLEGE?
MATTHEW: I’m going to the University of Florida to study Engineering. Go Gators!
RBCL: HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY GET INVOLVED?
MATTHEW: Showing up is the best way to get involved, being in the crowd contributing to the cheers alone is enough, but if you want to do more, the more volunteers we have available, the better. We can never have too many volunteers.
RBCL: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER TEENAGERS WHO WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY?
MATTHEW: Do something related to something that is already close to you. For me, I’ve always loved baseball. It’s a lot easier to make something of quality when you have a pre-existing interest in doing it. And if nothing clicks immediately, the next best thing is to be involved in everything. At school, join multiple clubs. Outside of school, do a couple extracurriculars. Anything can become inspiration.
Visit redondosunset.com/champions-league to learn more.
"Getting to give others something to look forward to every week is extremely gratifying."