TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Tupelo Police Athletic League is looking forward to possibly moving into a new home within the next few weeks.
The league helps youngsters by giving them a place to go and keeps them out of trouble.
On a typical Sunday afternoon, these 13 and 14-year-old boys are not worried about what's on television right now, nor about getting into trouble.
Their main focus is to get ready for an upcoming basketball tournament.
For them, the Tupelo Police Athletic League is the place to be.
"I think it's good. It helps a lot of kids," participant Jett Johnson said. "Before we can play, we do homework so we can keep our grades up. I think it's good."
"I love it because it's good coaches, good sportsmanship and stuff like that," said Ty Hill, another participant.
"We get to travel around and play against other boys our age," said Will Edwards of Tupelo.
"It's just fun to play with them and they're nice guys," Hatley resident Holden Clark said. "And we all get along real well."
"It's like we can play basketball and it's just fun because you get to play with other people, you know," said Isaiah Hardin of Tupelo.
It's so much fun that the kids hardly realize that they are playing in a rented warehouse in an industrial part of town.
There's a concrete floor for a basketball court that's not quite regulation size.
The Tupelo Police Athletic League has been at that location since 2006. Right now it is servicing some 350 young people.
And although the league has been a great outlet for these youngsters, they said they could use a little more space.
That's why the city of Tupelo purchased the building, which used to belong to the local Salvation Army.
It's an indoor recreation center with a full gymnasium and wooden floor. Police say the new facility will more than double the current space they have now.
That's good news, even for athletic league volunteers like Jimmy Richey.
"Hopefully that thing will kick off even larger than what it is now. We're going to have more space, a boxing ring, workout gyms. That's going to get other kids involved also," said Richey.
Police Athletic League organizers say that the City council will accept bids for work on the new gymnasium Tuesday night.
Athletic league officials say that once inside the new facility, the number of kids they help should double in size as well.
Renovation work on the new building could begin as early as Feb. 25.
