The East Diablo Youth Soccer League just proved that when a tight-knit community comes together, it can accomplish big things – in this case, a $2,500 grant from Liberty Mutual Insurance to buy new equipment.

Parents, coaches and league officials earned the grant through a grassroots effort to get as many community members as possible to complete an online course on sports mentoring. The course comes from the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program, an online community found at www.ResponsibleSports.com that helps adults maximize the positive role they play in young athletes’ lives through helpful blogs, videos and curriculum.

“The East Diablo Youth Soccer League has demonstrated a clear commitment to helping kids understand the life lessons youth sports have to offer,” said Brenda McDonald, branch manager for Liberty Mutual’s Brentwood office. “By engaging in the Responsible Sports dialogue, parents and coaches have built a true alliance on the sidelines that creates a positive experience for their athletes and community. And by doing so, they’ve also been able to earn increasingly hard-to-find funding for their club.”

The East Diablo Youth Soccer League is among an elite group of 20 youth sports organizations and schools across the country that completed enough quizzes to earn the $2,500 grant. The Responsible Sports Program is a partnership between Liberty Mutual, Positive Coaching Alliance, and a number of national youth sport organizations, including US Youth Soccer.

For more information, go online.