Cinderella stories happen in real life. Everyone may not have a fairy godmother, but one Pop Warner football team in the Watts neighborhood of South Central, L.A. just gained an entire team of football fathers. Last week, the Los Angeles Rams launched a partnership with the Watts Bears and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), according to a news release.

Through the partnership, the LA Rams will fund the team’s program, including uniforms and equipment. They will also work with the current coaches who are LAPD officers as well as provide opportunities for the youth to engage with and be mentored by players. The Bears have also been renamed the Watts Rams.

Over the years, the LAPD officers became more than coaches to Watts youth, they are more like fathers, reported ESPN. Like many youth growing up in poverty in the inner city, many of the young football players from Watts face a slew of socioeconomic challenges that make life very challenging.

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So officers James Holliman, Zarren Thompson, Joshua Juneau, Otis Swift and Jose Soto play multiple roles in their lives.

“It’s something about being able to take a young man at this age and kind of mold him in the right direction,” Thompson told ESPN. “No, they’re all not going to be the CEO of some multibillion-dollar corporation or anything like that. But the act of taking a kid who still is not contaminated with none of this stuff yet — so I can still get him — and having the passion to change somebody’s life, it’s a beautiful thing. Yeah, we have our ups and downs, don’t get me wrong. But it’s just autopilot and I go. I don’t even think twice.”

It is a reverse of the oftentimes tumultuous relationship police officers have with inner city residents. It’s what caught the attention of Molly Higgins, the LA Rams’ vice president of community affairs and engagement.

“As we enter the 2019 season, the Rams are excited to assist the LAPD’s efforts to bridge community and police relations through the game of football by formalizing our support of this transformative youth football program,” Higgins said. “Over the years, we have witnessed firsthand the difference these officers are making, and we look forward to wrapping our organizational support around them to inspire young Angelinos to climb to new heights.”