With the NCAA tournament in full swing, the UConn Women’s Basketball team can count on the support of a new generation of fans.

For more than a decade, UConn Athletics has been leveraging the success of both the Men’s and the Women’s Basketball programs to engage children in local communities. Programs like the Junior Husky Club and youth outreach ticketing initiatives encourage kids to come to games, and celebrate their success in school or community sports involvement.

This year, the Junior Husky Club has more than 500 members, ages 13 and under. Members participate in a range of activities, including free and discounted admission to games, a Dairy Bar birthday party for Jonathan, or a post-game basketball shoot-around in the XL Center or Gampel Pavilion.

Bret Eckhardt, whose five-year-old daughter Tess is a member of the Junior Husky Club, says “It’s great for the kids – particularly young girls – to see these positive role models. They see them out on the court, and then they’re able to go out on that same court; it gives them a sense of the possibilities. And the kids take it very seriously.”

The “Bring Your ‘A’ Game” promotion, featured at the Feb. 14 women’s game against Tulane, recognized excellence in the classroom. Any child who brought a quiz, test, or paper with an “A” grade received free admission to the game. Nearly 300 children showed off their academic skills and were able to watch the Huskies in person. A similar program encouraged kids to wear their community’s youth sports jersey to gain free admission to either a Men’s or a Women’s basketball game.

Steve Dunn, a coach with Sturbridge (Mass.) Youth Basketball, brought 22 children from his program to both a Men’s and Women’s Basketball game this year. Despite living just 25 miles from Storrs, very few of the kids followed UConn Basketball or had ever been to a game.

Dunn’s players all played an abbreviated game at halftime, in front of their families and a full crowd at Gampel Pavilion. “The kids were so excited to be at the game with their team uniforms on, and then to go out and play on the Gampel Pavilion court – it was an amazing experience for both the players and their families,” Dunn says. “I was blown away by the support from the Student Section – they were very loud and supportive of our kids, who were out there giving it their all.”

For children in communities across the state and beyond, college student-athletes can often serve as positive role-models. And for many young kids, college sports are the first interaction they have with the University. Those who participate in these UConn Athletics youth outreach programs leave with a very positive impression of UConn.

Dunn says his team from Sturbridge got caught up in Husky Mania, and will be supporting the Women’s Basketball team in its quest for a 10th National Championship: “Getting our kids involved not only gave them an unforgettable experience, but also helped create a whole group of new UConn Basketball fans. The kids still talk about it.”