The South Salt Lake Recreation Department was recently named the 2025 Utah Junior Jazz Program of the Year during the annual Utah Recreation and Parks Association Conference in St. George. The award is a partnership between the URPA and the Utah Jazz Youth Programs and recognizes the city for hosting a youth basketball program that prioritizes community impact and sportsmanship. At the URPA conference South Salt Lake Recreation Coordinator Dustin Permann accepted the award and a $2,500 grant on behalf of the city. 

“The South Salt Lake Junior Jazz program is successful because of the people working on the ground,” Permann said. 

"The recognition means a lot," he said. "Obviously, it comes with an award of $2,500, which we will use to pump up our youth sports budget, and it will be a good resource for our fiscal year next year to buy some newer supplies and just overall replenish that budget for all of our programs. But my staff are the ones that definitely deserve this award. They’re the ones that are out there reffing all the games. They’re there every night talking with the families, meeting with people, and I think it’s good to see them get recognized for the quality of programming that we run."

The South Salt Lake Junior Jazz program currently serves about 200 children across 16 teams. The league serves kids ages 4 to 12. Evening leagues run through the sixth grade, while older students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades participate in programs held at Granite Park Junior High.

South Salt Lake has made a conscious effort to keep the program accessible prioritizing community over profit, Permann said. Registration starts at $25, with a $5 fee added for those living outside city limits. Permann noted that the national average cost to participate in youth sports can exceed $1,000 per child. 

"We just want to be inclusive towards everyone," Permann said. "We feel that that's how it should be for especially recreational programs at this age, that it should be a community-based program where sometimes maybe the cities are footing the bill a little bit, but that's only because we want to give everyone the chance to be a part of our programs. That I think is how most recreational programs should be run. It should be inclusive to all. It shouldn’t be pricing out somebody, or it shouldn’t exclude people that are priced out, that can’t afford programs."

To ensure no child is left on the sidelines, the city also offers scholarships and discounts for families who cannot afford the base registration fee. 

The operation relies on a professional staff of four full-time and six part-time employees. Parents and community members fill the coaching roles, providing the mentorship and energy needed to sustain the league year after year, he said.

"Our volunteers are the backbone of our program," Permann said. "We couldn’t run anything without people volunteering their time, their energy. And we’re lucky to retain a lot of coaches that coach from season to season and year to year, and they’re just the best. That’s where people have a really good experience, too, is I think we train up our coaches and give them the resources that they need to be successful.”

South Salt Lake City has also partnered with the Utah Jazz to put on broader regional events, including three-point contests, "fun shot" competitions, and Junior Jazz parties held at the Delta Center. 

"I feel like this was kind of a lifetime achievement award maybe for us, just because a lot of these times these awards go to the biggest programs or the ones that get the most press," he said. "But I think the Jazz have recognized that we do a lot of quality work down here. I think they know they can count on us when they need somebody local to step up for them."

As a bonus for their hard work, the staff members were also awarded tickets to Utah Jazz games. 

“They gave the staff Jazz tickets which is, I think, well deserved,” Permann said. “Our staff work a lot of evenings, especially during the week, so we'll try to strategically get them to some Jazz games next year where it's not interfering with our own programming.”