Beat the Streets New York announces partnership with Newark Board of Education

The Newark-based wrestling program will be for fifth- to eighth-grade student-athletes.

Beat the Streets New York and the Newark (New Jersey) Board of Education today announced a partnership that makes Newark BOE the first official affiliate of BTSNY.

The partnership is inspired by BTSNY's mission to make a lifelong impact through the lessons learned on the wrestling mat - discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic. Together, the two will look to grow the sport of wrestling and provide opportunities on and off the mat for student-athletes to develop into leaders.

"My staff and I are so excited to partner with the Newark Board of Education as Beat the Streets New York looks to expand our reach in the great wrestling state of New Jersey," BTSNY Executive Director Brendan Buckley said. "The goal of the partnership is to provide access to the sport of wrestling for Newark youth before high school and instill the positive values that lead to success on and off the mat."

The partnership will start with one wrestling program at Oliver Street School and Luis Muñoz Marín School for Newark student-athletes from fifth to eighth grades. The wrestling program will also focus on creating a path for student-athletes to continue wrestling at one of Newark's high schools that offers the sport.

"We are proud and excited to announce our partnership," NBOE Supervisor of Athletics Keith Veltre said. "This unique program will give our Newark Board of Education boys and girls an opportunity to get involved in wrestling at a younger age, experience excellent coaching, and in the very near future be part of our NBOE's first middle school wrestling team. The future is bright for Newark wrestling!"

BTSNY and the NBOE will immediately begin to fill a position for an assistant head coach for the program.

For more information on the partnership and how to help, email BTSNY Director of Programming Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org.

Since being founded in 2005, BTSNY has pioneered a movement that now includes 150 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first girls high school league.

BTSNY works to develop the full human and athletic potential of the urban youth and strengthen the New York City wrestling culture. We aim to make a lifelong impact on student-athletes through the lessons learned on the wrestling mat -- discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic. Discover how you can make a meaningful contribution to our work at btsny.org/donate.