In an effort to assure equal playing time among the various sports offered by GSPAA (Green Hornets), the organization is reminding all coaches that Anne Arundel County Parks and Recreation have published guidelines on playing time for participants at the county club level. The Green Hornets has always supported this policy and will continue to do so in the future. The Board of Directors urges each coach of their sport to visit the county website to familiarize themselves on the playing time policy. 

To that end, any deviation from that policy may result in removal of a coach for that particular team or sport. We urge all coaches to contact their respective commissioner if they have any questions or concerns.

The Greater Severna Park Athletic Association, known as the Green Hornets, is a non-profit youth sports organization for children ages 3 to 18. Green Hornets serves more than 8,000 area children each year. It provides the opportunity for kids to be involved in any of eleven sports at varying levels of competition.

The organization consists of 800+ volunteers from the Greater Severna Park area. These volunteers help the kids learn the rules of the game, build confidence and self-esteem, develop social skills, and gain an understanding of teamwork, coordination and athletic skills. 

The primary service area of the Green Hornets is within the boundaries of the Severna Park High School Feeder System.

GSPAA encourages each child who participates in a sport to devote his or her best efforts to the sport while that sport is in season, and to do so not only in games but also in practice. On occasion, a child may have both the skill and the interest in playing two sports during the same season. While GSPAA encourages players to multiple sports, doing so in the same season often leads to conflicts between the two sports and the coaches of the teams for whom the player is playing. It can also have negative fallout for the player and his or her teammates, especially when the player opts to play the sport when his or her teammates feel that he or she should be playing with them. In keeping with its mission of encouraging kids to play any sport that is offered by GSPAA, there is no policy prohibiting a player from playing two select sports in the same season. The player and that player's parent(s) are strongly encouraged to be honest with the coach of each sport, to resolve any conflicts in a manner that is least harmful to all concerned, and to provide reasonable notice to both coaches when a conflict does arise. In similar fashion, the coaches are strongly encouraged to work together so as to minimize conflict, and to avoid penalizing the player for making a decision to play the sport on a given night. The goal of the GSPAA is Putting Kids First, and that should always be the primary goal of every coach, parent and Commissioner in the program.

Annual General Membership Fee: The $75 General Membership (Family) fee is a non-refundable annual fee effective each calendar year, January through December. This fee is assessed to each current family membership to help cover the costs of salaries, equipment, field maintenance, and other administrative costs to run all of our sports programs. THIS FEE APPLIES WHEN YOU REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE FIRST SPORT PLAYED IN THE CALENDAR YEAR.

Refund Policy: If your child makes a high school team, has an injury or a schedule conflict that prevents him/her from participating in the sport that he or she has registered for, or you are requesting a refund for any other reason, you must email your refund request to the Green Hornets office at [email protected] BEFORE practices begin. Please note that credits or refunds for withdraws due to injuries are not issued once the sport season is underway.

Registration Questions: Please direct any general registration questions or problems you may have to [email protected]. Requests for refunds should also be sent to that address. Questions regarding a specific sport should be addressed to the Sports Commissioner or other appropriate contact listed on that sport homepage. 

The Capital Newspaper may cover Green Hornets news in their Severna Park Community News section, Thursday editions. You can submit news for this column by emailing [email protected].

Additionally, Green Hornets' sports are covered by the Severna Park Voice Newspaper by Zach Sparks. You can reach Zach at [email protected] or call 410-647-9400.