Why ESA?

Emporia Soccer Academy

• Player Centered Mentality: Everything we do begins and ends with the development of our players. 

• Positive Coaching and Fun Environment: We want to foster a love of the game by creating and promoting an engaging, enjoyable and positive training atmosphere

• Education Based: Focus is on a bottom to top training curriculum.  Beginning with foundational learning and building from there.  Not every player will become a professional soccer player but all players are given the tools for future success.

• Accessible: Our programs welcome players from all backgrounds.  High level training to everyone in the community.

• Character Development: Soccer is our platform.  Playing is a privilege.  Teaching responsibility, discipline and leadership that carry to all aspects of life is our goal at every training.

• Community Outreach: We want to foster a culture of service so players can positively contribute to their community.

• Non-Profit Service: Academy dues/fees that are collected are strictly used for our academy players.  We are not a business nor are affiliated with major clubs that run on a business model. 

Traditional "Club" Academies

• Club Centered Mentality: Resources are used for the benefit of the club and adult staff.  Youth players get left behind.

• Win Now Mentality: Focus is on a top to bottom training curriculum.  Training and development is rushed and sacrificed for immediate results in games.  Burn out can steadily happen over time.

• Accessibility is Limited: Too much focus on developing talent in the hopes of moving them to adult league teams.  Players get left behind.

• Lack of Character Development: Soccer is the priority leaving room for inconsistent development of the whole player.  Focus on the path to adult/professional teams leads to lack of focus on overall physical and mental development of players.

• Community Outreach: Outreach to the community focuses primarily on attention to the club and staff versus the players service to their community.

• Business Mentality: The club prioritizes business decisions over quality of player development.  The name matters more than the individuals.