New York State West Youth Soccer Association (NYSWYSA) is focusing on an initiative to engage children in healthy activities and to connect new players to local clubs as a way to grow the game and increase participation by staging a free day of soccer for children.

Objective: The number of players in youth soccer has been decreasing over the last couple years, and our goal is it to get more kids into healthy activities and participating specifically in youth soccer.

Target: Our target groups are kids of the age 5-12 year; new kids to soccer with little or no experience, previously unregistered or unaffiliated with any soccer clubs.

How: NYSWYSA cooperates with schools, youth organizations (like YMCA’s, Scouts, Day Care Centers, Boys/Girls Clubs, etc.)  and youth soccer clubs in the Western New York area to organize free Intro to Youth Soccer events.  We introduce kids to soccer with the hope of getting them involved in the sport.

Parents: This event is free for all participants. It is a great opportunity for parents to see if soccer might be a good fit for their children without any commitments.  No special equipment or outfits are required (i.e. soccer uniforms, cleats, shin guards – we have had children show up in cut off jeans, street clothes, button down shirts and dress shoes, etc.) ALL are welcome to participate. Information about local soccer clubs will be handed out at the event.

Costs: This event is free! NYSWYSA will sponsor the event by promoting it, along with offering operational and technical support, staff coaches, and each participant will receive a complimentary gift bag.

Clubs: We invite local soccer organizations to attend the event to represent their clubs and to provide their programming/enrollment information to interested participants looking to take the next step.  We want to provide a platform whereby we connect potential players with local clubs at no cost to the player or club.

Interest? If you are interested in us organizing a free Intro to Youth Soccer event in your area or if you have any questions, please contact Diana Groth: dgroth@nyswysa.org.

Please be aware that this not a free practice session targeted at kids already playing soccer.  We are seeking opportunities to stage, a one-time event where we can introduce soccer to children previously unfamiliar with the sport.