SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 20, 2025) – The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is teaming up with Buckets Over Bullying as they aim to host the Northeast’s largest anti-bullying basketball event. The New England AAU district will welcome teams playing for a bigger purpose and a better cause. 

Through the AAU Cares initiative, New England AAU and Buckets Over Bullying will host teams at American International College on April 5-6, 2025. Boys and girls basketball teams ranging from 3rd grade to 12th grade will compete in the NEAAU Queen and King of the Court events with all proceeds from the event supporting Buckets Over Bullying and their efforts to “Block the Bullies.”

“The AAU and I share the same goal: self-empowerment through compassion,” said Leo Liu, AAU Northeast Conference Basketball Chair. “When you help others, you learn from experience what it means to help yourself.” 

Buckets Over Bullying ambassador and basketball social media influencer, Tristan Jass, will also be sending a special message to the teams traveling to the event and athletes all over the basketball world. 

Buckets Over Bullying is active in the community participating in rallies, walks, and community events. They also support legislative efforts that protect children from cyberbullying and social media-related harms. Buckets Over Bullying is a non-profit initiative whose mission is to stop cyberbullying of children and teenagers through education, events, lawmaking, and legal action. To read more about their story, visit bucketsoverbullying.org. 

The AAU is excited to join the fight against bullying and continue to bring “Sports For All, Forever.” 

Visit neaaubasketball.org for more information and be sure to follow along on Instagram to see all of the action from the event: @neaaubasketball, @aaubasketball, @bucketsoverbullying. 

ABOUT THE AAU:
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 800,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.