Whether it is youth recreation or travel baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, or soccer — pick your sport — somewhere on the sidelines, parents of athletes in town have probably seen Matt Memoli volunteer coaching throughout the past ten or so years.

Memoli, for his many continued contributions to the sports scene in town, has been selected as recipient of the Newtown Bee’s Sportsman of the Year Award (established in 1986) — which since 2008 has honored late Newtown Bee Sports Editor Kim Harmon — for 2025.

Since taking over as athletic director at Newtown High School in 2016, Memoli has not only continued to coach his and other children in youth sports leagues for 15-plus hours per week in the fall, winter, and spring, but has helped create a strong connection between some of the town’s youngest, up-and-coming athletes and the high school teams.

“Matt has done an amazing job incorporating all of the youth sports into all of the varsity sports that are here at the high school,” said Jeremy O’Connell, coach of the Newtown High girls’ basketball team, adding that Memoli sets up having the high school student-athletes being good role models for the younger athletes who attend games and clinics.

“I love youth nights. I love bringing the kids to play on the court at halftime and play on the field at halftime,” said Memoli, 41, who lives in town with his wife Megan.

Memoli said it is important to get the town’s youth athletes engaged at the high school to make it one sports community in an effort to keep strong athletes here in town and avoid having players defect to private schools.

It all began back when Memoli was a baseball standout at Shelton High. He offered batting clinics to youth athletes as a teenager and has not stopped training and guiding future standouts since. Memoli has coached his daughter McKenna (now 12) and son Bryce (10) and their peers for the better part of the last decade.

A former collegiate baseball player (Central Connecticut State University) who went on to coach at Yale University then led Newtown High’s baseball team to championship success, Memoli has for a long time known the rules of America’s pastime. But as his children got into soccer, lacrosse, football, and other sports he has had to pick up the ins and outs of each game as he’s moved along. Not necessarily knowing all there is to know about certain sports never stopped Memoli from stepping up to coach when needed.

“All I wanted to do was help,” said Memoli, adding that he planned to be at the ball fields and gymnasiums to watch his kids play regardless — “Not missing that for me is so important,” he said — so why not lend a hand?

Memoli has held a variety of roles, including assistant and head coach — as well as done some administrative work, such as scheduling — and credits much of his ability to step into a new sport to the support of coaches at Newtown High. Memoli observes varsity games and practices and talks to his high school coaching staff for pointers. He points out that the high school has an experienced staff of tremendous coaches, many of whom played the game at the collegiate level.

Memoli’s youth teams have won local and regional championships, and winning is great and all, but, at the end of the day, it is about children learning and growing, he said.

“There’s no better way to teach life than sports. A lot of times it’s not fair, a lot of times it’s not fun, and it’s hard and doesn’t go your way. But how do you respond to that?” Memoli commented.

As a youth coach, he strives to get the most out of players by trying them out in various positions not only to see where their strengths are, but also to get them to experience different roles. From positions on the field within a game to playing a variety of sports, mixing and matching is essential at a young age.

“Versatility is key — it’s absolutely key,” Memoli said.

Memoli began as a middle school physical education teacher and baseball coach at NHS before taking on the AD role. He has had a great impact on not just the young athletes, but also coaches and parents. Newtown High has won several sportsmanship awards from the state and South-West Conference, and Memoli helps set the tone. NHS Cheerleading Coach Susan Bridges said Memoli holds the athletes and coaches to a standard and helps ensure there is a high level of sportsmanship.

Here are comments from coaches who have worked with Memoli throughout the years.

*”It’s a pleasure to work under Matt. He is an athletic director who has a great perspective on what sports mean and what they can do as a vehicle for the overall development of student athletes. On top of it all, though, he is just a great guy who tries every day to bring positivity to athletics in Newtown and we are lucky to have him,” NHS Swim Coach Ryan Eberts said.

*”Matt Memoli is an outstanding coach and example to our youth sports programs in Newtown and serves as a highly-dedicated mentor. He is always thinking of ways we can develop our athletes in a fun and encouraging way — we’re so fortunate to have him,” said Steve Bartomioli, a coach in Newtown Youth Football & Cheer as well as Newtown Youth Lacrosse Association.

*”Matt brings a positive attitude, constantly cheering and motivating his team to perform at their best,” Thomas Wilson said. (Memoli is Wilson’s assistant coach for the sixth grade girls’ A basketball travel team; daughter Leanna Wilson is on the squad).

*”This is well deserved for Matt,” said Jim Dudeck, Newtown Youth Football fourth grade head coach, who has coached alongside Memoli, an assistant on the football field, and whose son Dalton has played basketball under the direction of Memoli. “It is hard to explain what Matt means to our youth and Newtown Sports in less than an essay but here it is: The sentence that best describes Matt’s coaching style and what he is to me, ‘the calm in the middle of the storm.’ As a head coach you surround yourself with better coaches than yourself and he definitely is one of them. I can go into more but that hits it on the head.”

*”Matt Memoli is truly one of the best coaches and people I have ever known. For six years he has coached my daughter and in that time he has taught her far more than how to be a great athlete. He teaches character, respect, and what true sportsmanship looks like every single day,” said Daisha Lahey, whose daughter Kinley plays basketball. “Matt is always the first to recognize kindness, effort, and integrity, whether in victory or defeat. He celebrates good sportsmanship just as much as success and constantly reminds his players that who they are matters more than the score. We are so grateful for the impact he has had on our daughter’s life. He is not just an incredible coach, he is an extraordinary role model.”

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.