East  greenwich Soccer Association

About EGSA

The East Greenwich Soccer Association (EGSA) is a volunteer organization that provides recreational and competitive soccer programs to kids under the age of 14 in East Greenwich, RI, and surrounding towns. As parents ourselves, we know you have many choices when selecting a soccer program for your children. We've worked hard to build a league where kids can have fun, stay active, learn, and continually improve their soccer skills.

Here are five reasons we believe EGSA is an excellent choice for your child:

1) EGSA is a family organization. When you join EGSA, you are joining hundreds of other parents and players who share common goals. We love seeing families on the sidelines and at our yearly events. We want everyone in the family to reinforce existing friendships and make new ones that are long lasting.

2) EGSA is committed to developing your child as a person first and a soccer player second. Our curriculum and staff are on the cutting edge of the modern game and always evolving, but our mission of building skills, confidence and character through hard work will always be consistent.

3) EGSA insists on positive coaching and positive parenting. Our motto is "Catch them being good!" When a coach, mentor, teacher or parent recognizes you for doing something well you’re more likely to find repeat success and grow in confidence.

4) EGSA partners with Challenger Sports to bring professional coaching to all our players. 

5) While we cannot promise college scholarships, we work hard to be the best we can be. We will always nurture talent and provide players - of all abilities - the best opportunity to succeed.

EGSA Philosophy

Extensive research has shown that player burnout is an epidemic in youth sports for myriad reasons.  Among them, physical injury from single-sport specialization and the psychological demands from game-time performance are key contributors.

Responding to these reports, the EGSA has adopted a philosophy emphasizing player development over games and winning.

The goal is simple: we want our kids to continue playing soccer past 16 years old rather than dropping out when they are 10. 

EGSA believes that the best way to develop skills and have fun is for players to spend more time on the field with a ball at their feet.  We want our kids to be having fun ALL OF THE TIME, while learning the essential skills to develop into great soccer players.  EGSA's focus is on  professional training by skilled coaches who understand what is required for our kids to grow as players, while in a fun, supportive environment under a unified direction.

In addition, our membership believes in all-around development of our young athletes and strongly encourages participation in multiple sports.  This not only reduces the risk of overuse injury, but builds players into better overall athletes.

The following youth sports research articles provide the basis for EGSA's philosophy:

• The Enemy of Excellence in Youth Sports [ Winning/Losing vs. Development ]

• Why Kids Quit Sports [ George Washington Univ. Study ]

• Overuse injuries and burnout in youth sports [Amer. Med. Soc. Sports Med.]

• How To Destroy Your Child's Athletic Future in 3 Easy Steps