It’s time for spring sports, and anyone who has school-aged children is likely to be gearing up for weekly practices and games that continue well into the warmer weather months. Below is a quick summary of youth programs in some of the most popular spring sports in the Greensboro area: Registration for most of the sports below begins shortly after the New Year and continues until early or mid-February (or until teams are filled).
Youth soccer is big in Greensboro!
A few notes about kids’ sports in the area:
- Most youth sports actually are played in spring and fall, with many summer camps available, too. (This is especially true at the younger, elementary school-age level.)
- There are what’s known as tournament or “travel” teams in soccer, lacrosse, softball/baseball. These are a step above recreation league play in that they require player evaluations, more practice time, extra cost, and often, travel around NC or the Southeast.
- Some kids opt to try out for sports at their middle schools; others opt to continue playing rec leagues. Most students who continue athletic endeavors past middle school end up playing on high school teams, but there are recreational teams out there – you may just have to look a little harder for them.
We don’t claim this is an exhaustive list, but below are some resources for youth sports – please add to our list by commenting below if you know something useful that we haven’t mentioned!
Spring Youth Soccer
Greensboro United Soccer Association
From what we understand, there used to be many organizations that offered their own soccer programs; at some point, some of them decided to partner together to offer a cohesive soccer experience for kids in the area. Today, the Greensboro United Soccer Association (GUSA, often called "Goose-ah") administers a region-wide youth soccer league that the City of Greensboro, Proehlific Park, and others participate in. Practices are usually at a location near you, but games may be played at any of several facilities around town -- including Bryan Park, Proehlific Park, Summerfield Athletic Complex, and others. GUSA offers both recreation and travel teams.
YMCA
Spears, Bryan YMCA, Hayes-Taylor YMCA, and other YMCAs all offer recreational soccer teams.
Spring Youth Lacrosse
TYLA
Many kids learn to play lacrosse through Triad Youth Lacrosse Association (TYLA), which offers a recreational, educational, inclusive league with multiple teams based in Greensboro, Oak Ridge, Burlington, and Winston-Salem. Teams vary in skill level, depending on age, experience, coach, etc.
Triad Elite Lacrosse
Triad Elite Lacrosse's website says that the group "offers top student athletes get the opportunity to play lacrosse at the highest level.” Triad Elite offers a variety of team and tournament participation opportunities, plus a variety of clinics with coaches and visiting professional players. Players can be "Triad Elite" players, but clinics are typically open to players from any league.
Spring Youth Golf
Precision Golf School
We are big fans of Precision Golf School, partly because the lead youth instructor is a neighborhood friend and we've seen first-hand how well his team prepares kids for golf play at a variety of levels. The school offers classes and play at Bryan Park and Bur-Mil Park, using an 8-level developmental program from beginner to high school player looking to play college golf.
Rick Murphy Golf Academy
We know less about this school, but Rick Murphy Golf Academy gets good reviews, and players can play at one of the area's best golf courses: Greensboro National Golf Course. The academy also has a practice and learning center located in Greensboro, NC, near the Piedmont International Airport.
Spring Youth Tennis
Precision Tennis Academy
Similar to the Precision Golf School, Precision Tennis Academy has a great system for getting potential young tennis enthusiasts ready at all ages and levels through its Quick-Start Academy, Junior Academy, and Junior Excellence Academy. Practices and lessons are offered at Bur-Mil Park, Friendly Park Pool & Tennis Club, and Guilford College.
Greensboro Tennis Program
The Greensboro Tennis Program (GTP) is operated by the non-profit Greensboro Tennis Foundation, which offers a variety of programs that expose children to the game of tennis. From regular lessons and tournament play to the Greensboro Tennis School, which allows serious students the opportunity to complete their schoolwork via online learning while training to be seriously competitive tennis players.
Neighborhood Swim & Tennis Clubs
All of the neighborhood swim & tennis clubs offer tennis for young people - different coaches structure club programs differently, so you'd have to contact the one closest to you for details. Ones we know about include: Hamilton Lakes Swim & Tennis, Green Valley Park, Lake Jeanette Swim & Tennis, Pinetop Sport Club, Cardinal Swim & Tennis.
City of Greensboro Tennis Centers
The City of Greensboro operates several tennis centers, and youth lessons and other programs are available at all of them, including: Spencer Love Tennis Center, Simkins Indoor Tennis Center, Oka T. Hester Park Tennis Center, Latham Park Tennis Center, and Memorial Tennis Center.
Spring Youth Baseball
City of Greensboro
The City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department has baseball teams for kids ages 4-14. For more information, check out their website.
Summerfield Recreation Association (SRA)
SRA offers rec league and travel and showcase baseball programs. In some years, the SRA and Proehlific Park have joined efforts to offer a region-wide league similar to the GUSA program for soccer.
Proehlific Park
Proehlific Park offers rec league and travel and showcase baseball programs. See note above about SRA partnership.
YMCA
Spears, Bryan YMCA, and Hayes-Taylor YMCA all offer t-ball and baseball.
We hope to see you and your family out enjoying the springtime while watching some educational, fun, competitive youth sports. Let us know your secrets about where to play, coaches and organizations you love, and how to get deals on gently used sports gear.
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