On a picturesque spring morning a few days ago, 10 men – some in suits, others in jeans – huddled around the hood of a black Ford F-150 in a church parking lot, studying development plans and discussing ways to impact the lives of children.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway and two officials from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department met with Deion Sanders and some of his business associates.

The goal: turn city-owned Wheatland Park into a thriving youth football complex.

Sanders, the former Cowboys defensive back, is entering eight teams in four age groups (5-12) into the Dallas Select Football League this fall, and he wants his teams' games played south of the Trinity River.

Tryouts for Sanders' teams will be April 18-19 at the Cotton Bowl.

"My mother placed me on a select team, the Fort Myers Rebels, on the other side of town, and it allowed me to dream," said Sanders, who grew up in southwest Florida. "That's why I never got caught up in the trappings of the drug dealers.

"The parents on those teams were doctors and lawyers. They owned companies. They lived in two- and three-story homes with swimming pools and drove fancy cars. Plus, I never really saw any drug dealers get old."

Sanders isn't making any money on this deal. He has other business ventures designed to do that.

This is strictly about changing lives and providing hope.

Sanders has forged relationships with state Sen. Royce West, councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill and the Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. On Friday morning, Sanders taped a pair of public service announcements with Mayor Tom Leppert about the importance of reading.

"For him to step up to the plate and give some inner-city kids some hope is phenomenal," Caraway said of Sanders. "Nothing comes without some tussle. This will happen. We're going to get the deal done."

For Sanders, who has five children, fatherhood is the most important aspect of his life. He schedules business meetings and trips around his kids' sporting events.

He'll tell you he prefers kids to adults because they're not jaded.

They can change. He's seen it.

"Driving across town to Oak Cliff, I pass a bunch of turf fields and wonderful indoor facilities," he said. "Then I go to the inner city where you have some of the best athletes without the same resources.

"If I can give them the resources and the direction and the vision, there's no telling what they can achieve."

His participation in the DSFL, which has about 1,800 kids, as a board member and special counsel is simply one of the tools Sanders is using to impact youth in the city.

Parents will be responsible for supplying helmets and pads; Sanders will provide everything else, from uniforms to cleats to snacks. Some scholarships will be awarded.

Sanders has partnered with Dallas County Schools to use school buses to transport kids to a centralized practice location during the summer and when school begins.

Kids must maintain a B average to remain eligible during the season, and weekly grade sheets must be signed by their parents and teachers. Those who fall below a B average will spend practice time working with volunteer tutors.

Each team will have 20 players and four coaches. Several former Cowboys have agreed to be coaches.

Next year, Sanders wants to introduce select baseball and basketball teams. He's working on bringing a 65,000-square-foot athletic facility to Oak Cliff. Already, he has been engaged in discussions with the University of North Texas to create a charter school for grades 6-12 that would focus on academics and athletics.

He's not interested in producing the next Prime Time, but he does want to produce great men.

Many of the most influential people in Sanders' life were coaches. He understands the impact he can have on young black men, who are being killed and incarcerated at alarming rates.

"Athletics," he said, "is a way up and way out without compromising yourself."