Milton welcomes popular basketball league this winter.

By Accessmilton.com

The City of Milton Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with long-time sports provider North Georgia Rec. to offer a winter basketball league for boys and girls ages 6 to 12.

“For anyone who has participated in our basketball programs previously, get ready to be blown away by the service and responsiveness of North Georgia Rec.,” said Tom Gilliam, recreation programs coordinator for the City of Milton. “It’s a big win for the city to partner with such great recreation professionals.”

A subsidiary of 13-year mainstay Newtown Recreation, North Georgia Rec. was created to expand the popular brand outside the Johns Creek, Roswell and Alpharetta area, said Brandon Allen, the program’s director.

“We’ve had a lot of Milton residents play in our programs already,” he said. “It just made sense to bring them into Milton and expand the leagues.”

Newtown Recreation has provided basketball for 12 years, and currently runs all sports programs for the City of Johns Creek. Created to exclusively run activities at what was then Fulton County’s Newtown Park, the organization now hosts more than 60 percent of its activities outside it, including soccer, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, flag football, golf, tennis and the “Newtown Tots” sports introduction programs.

Their size and connections to other local sports leagues and recreation programs in Johns Creek and Alpharetta means a wide variety of opponents, said Gilliam. But don’t expect to travel far: It’s a Milton program, which means half of all games will be played at either Northwestern or Hopewell Middle Schools, which Milton has contracted with for gym time.

Registration for the basketball league will open Sept. 5. Practices begin in November and the season lasts through mid-February. Cost is $150 for residents, $225 for non-residents.

For more information on this, or any City of Milton recreation program, check out the city’s Online Activity Guide.

For more information on North Georgia Rec., visit their Web site, www.northgeorgiarec.com.