ENYYSA

State Cup Brackets Are Available

02/01/2012 01:13 PM

The brackets are available for the U.S. Youth Soccer / ENYYSA Championship and Arch Capital Group Cups. Click here for bracket.

ODP Raffle Winners

01/27/2012 11:50 AM

Thanks to our Team Administrators for all the hard work in putting together the raffle to help ODP players offset the cost of the program. The drawing was held January 27, 2012 at 10 AM. Click here for video of drawing. Congratulations to the following winners! Grand Prize - 55 inch TV #019266; 2nd Prize - IPad #054922; 3rd Prize - Xbox Kinnect - #048219

Boys 1999 Attend XXV Coast Tournament Gaia, Palermo Italy

01/04/2012 07:46 AM

12/30/11 - Team Arrives in Italy, click here for video (right side of site "go to GAIA COAST 02 01 2012 video). Schedule: 1/3/12 - 9:00 (3 AM EST) - (Win) ENY ODP 1999 (5) vs Castellmmarie (0); 1500 (9AM EST) - (Win) ENY ODP 1999 (2) vs Castelvetrano (0); 1/4/12 - 9:00 (3AM EST) - ENY ODP 1999 (1) vs Prato (0). Select here for XXV Coast Tournament Gaia.

Risk Management........

09/21/2011 09:17 AM

ENYYSA feels the education of coaches, parents, trainers and players is our biggest tool in keeping players safe. Click here for video "Kids First Video"

Are Your Goals Safe?

10/18/2011 12:24 PM

It can never happen to me.....

Please click here to watch a public service announcement on Illinois' Zach's Law.

Region I Offering Hurricane Relief to Affiliated Leagues and Clubs

09/21/2011 09:15 AM

U.S. Youth Soccer Association, Region I, is offering up to $2,000 in grants for those Leagues and Clubs that were hit hard by Hurricane Irene. Click here for the application.

Congratulations ODP Players!

09/21/2011 09:16 AM

Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association is proud of our Olympic Development players selected to the Regional and National pools. Click here for list of players. "What is ODP"

Coaching Instruction

07/08/2011 10:56 AM

The ENYYSA Coaching Education Program is designed to meet the needs of today’s modern youth soccer coach. Established is a comprehensive Coaching Education School that offers a USSF-approved curriculum of courses for "Youth Module’s", “F”, "E", and "D" licenses. Click here for a list of available courses.

82 Top Youth Soccer Teams to Kick Off the 2012 ENYYSA Premier League in March

01/23/2012 02:27 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 23, 2012-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce the 82 teams––49 girls squads and 33 boys teams––have been accepted into the prestigious ENYYSA Premier League. These squads had outstanding records in their respective leagues, applied and were accepted into the Premier League and will be facing some of the best competition that ENYYSA has to offer.

Not surprisingly, the Long Island Junior Soccer League, ENYYSA’s largest league and one of the world’s largest soccer leagues, contributes the most teams with 27. 18 Westchester Youth Soccer Soccer League teams will be competing followed by 17 East Hudson Youth Soccer League sides, 11 Capital District Youth Soccer League teams, four from the Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League, three from the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League and one team apiece from the Central New York State Youth Soccer League and the Staten Island Youth Soccer League. The schedule is being created right now with plans to kick off in March and conclude in June. Congratulations to the entire line-up of ENYYSA Premier League teams:

Girls-Under-12 Division
Alleycats Krazy Kats (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Monroe Woodbury Chargers (Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League)
North Rockland Rowdies (Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League)
East Meadow Blue United (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Massapequa Strikers (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Northport/Cow Harbor Elite 99 (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Manhattan Santos (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
New York Rush Patriots 2000 (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Girls-Under-13 Division
Alleycats Jaguar (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
East Fishkill Power (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
North Rockland Sapphires (Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League)
Commack Crush/ISA Sting 98 (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
East Meadow Blue Stars 98 (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Rockville Centre Express (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
FC Somers Cyclones (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
New York Rush Patriots 99 (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Girls-Under-14 Division
Alleycats Blackcats (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Brooklyn Patriots Lioness (Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League)
Nirvana Legacy (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Rockville Centre Racers (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
FC Westchester Elite (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Girls-Under-15 Division
Alleycats Panthers (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Brooklyn Patriots (Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League)
LaGrange Stingers (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Nirvana Arsenal (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Massapequa Explosion (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
North Babylon Express (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Stony Brook Academy (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Syosset Arsenal (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Gotham Girls FC Samba (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Girls-Under-16 Division
Shrub Oak Fire (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Soccer Plus Academy (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Quickstrike FC Blue (Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League)
Garden City Sparks (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Manhattan 95 United (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
Rye Celtics (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
White Plains United 96 (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Girls-Under-17 Division
LaGrange Pride (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Rising Stars Soccer Club Blasters (Central New York State Youth Soccer League)
Town of Poughkeepsie Hot Shots (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Massapequa Rowdies (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Manhattan NY Pride (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Girls-Under-18 Division
Alleycats Predators (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Blackwatch Thistle (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Lewisboro Xtreme ‘94 (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Wappingers United Eagles (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Gotham Girls FC Chargers (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
Staten Island United Thunderbolts (Staten Island Youth Soccer League)

Boys-Under-12 Division
Pleasant Valley Cobras (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Dix Hills Hurricanes (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Elmont Milan (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Manhattan Villa (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
New York Soccer Club 99/00 (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Boys-Under-14 Division
Alleycats Crush (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Town of Poughkeepsie PSC Heat (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Hauppauge Blue Devils (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Sachem United (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Port Chester Panthers (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
Yonkers United Rush Cheetahs (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Boys-Under-16 Division
Alleycats G2 (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
LaGrange Vikings (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Pleasant Valley Vipers (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Carle Place Fireballs (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
FC New York United 95s (Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League)

Boys-Under-17 Division
Alleycats Pumas (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Blackwatch Cabers (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Hyde Park Lightning (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Middlepath FC 94/95 (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Kings Park Knights (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Lake Grove Rebels (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Manorville Wizards (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
FC Westchester Boys 95 (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

Boys-Under-18 Division
Alleycats 18 Empires (Capital District Youth Soccer League)
Wappingers United Knights (East Hudson Youth Soccer League)
Hicksville Eclipse (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Northport/Cow Harbor Titans (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Port Washington Predators (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Smithtown Sonic (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
Stony Brook Strikers (Long Island Junior Soccer League)
FC Westchester Elite Boys 94 (Westchester Youth Soccer League)
Port Chester Bengals (Westchester Youth Soccer League)

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Five ENYYSA Soccer Teams Selected to Play in the President’s Cup in New Hampshire This May

01/06/2012 02:53 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 11, 2012-Congratulations to five Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) teams that were selected to compete in the Region 1 Presidents Cup on Memorial Day weekend--May 25 to 28, 2012--in Londonberry and Nashua, New Hampshire. The five teams chosen are the Boys-Under-16 White Plains Tyros and the Boys-Under-17 Manhattan SC Sparta of the Westchester Youth Soccer League, Boys-Under-14 Oceanside United Pirates and Girls-Under-15 Lake Grove Fusion of the Long Island Junior Soccer League plus the Girls-Under-16 Capital United Fusion of the Capital District Youth Soccer League. This Capital United team with most of the same players won the Region 1 Presidents Cup in Albany and represented ENYYSA at the Nationals in Iowa last year.

“Our Capital United Fusion team had a fabulous experience last year in the Presidents Cup Regionals and Nationals,” commented Capital United President Keith Villamil. “In addition to the outstanding competition and excellent facilities, one of the most memorable times for the girls was exchanging items from each state and meeting other players from varying backgrounds. The national championship competition was the most professionally-run event that we’ve ever attended with top-notch fields, scoreboards, referees and a competitive environment. We would love an opportunity to again compete for a chance to represent Eastern New York at the Nationals in California in 2012!”

“We thank everyone at Eastern New York for their support and look forward to the Presidents Cup Regional in New Hampshire,” Keith concluded.

The Region 1 Presidents Cup is the regional qualifier for the U.S. Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup. All age group winners of the regional Presidents Cups move on, except Under-13s, to play in the National Presidents Cup in Sacramento, California on July 11 to 15, 2012.

The Presidents Cup is a mid-level tournament for those youth teams looking to play against squads of similar abilities for a national title.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

(Photo attached of Capital United with Coach Liz Villamil on the far right.)

State Cup Finals to Be Played in LaGrange and Plainview Again in 2012

01/03/2012 03:33 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 17, 2012-Partly because there was so many compliments about both venues during the championship games last year, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) decided to return the State Cup finals to LaGrange in the Hudson Valley and Plainview on Long Island in 2012.

The State Open Cup Finals will be played at Stringham Park in LaGrange on the weekend of June 2 and 3. The top teams in Eastern New York compete for the State Open Cup.

The Arch Capital Group Challenge Cup Finals will be played at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview, Long Island on Saturday, June 9. The fields’ namesake, Peter Collins, is the former Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) President who’s a member of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, as well as the Halls of Fame of Eastern New York and the LIJSL. The Arch Capital Group Challenge Cup is for mid-level travel teams below Division 1 and Premier League soccer.

“We look forward to two beautiful weekends of championship soccer, hopefully played under sunny skies,” said State Cup Chairperson Barbara Rodriguez.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Eastern New York ODP Team Becomes First American Squad to Make the Semifinals of the Trofeo Costa Gaia

01/19/2012 12:09 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 16, 2012-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Boys-Under-13 Olympic Development Program-South Team played in the 25th Annual Trofeo Costa Gaia in Sicily earlier this month and became the first American team to make the semifinals in this tournament. They finished with a 4-2-1 record against top Italian competition with a goal differential of 16 to 5.

The ODP Team, with players from all over New York City and Long Island, swept the first round with three shutouts: a 5-0 win over Castellammare 94, 4-0 over Castelvetrano and 1-0 over Prato.

“Prato was a very good, well-organized team and I switched some of our boys’ positions around for that game and they came through,” commented ODP coach Manfred Kapper.

The round of 16 saw the New Yorkers continue their shutout streak with a 5-0 win against Real San Giovanni. In the quarterfinals, they met Prato again. This time, the game produced a 0-0 stalemate but the New Yorkers advanced with a 4-3 advantage in the penalty kick shootout.

In the semifinal group stage, a goal off a direct kick at the end of the game gave Inter Milan a 1-0 win. The New Yorkers had played against their Italian opponents for 295 minutes without conceding a goal until that point. Padova defeated the New Yorkers, 4-1, to end the Trofeo Costa Gaia for the ODP team.

“Our team had no legs against Padova. The Italian teams came with 25 players, we had 18 and two of our players had fallen ill,” commented Coach Kapper. “But it was a very good experience for the team. They did very well, even playing on dirt fields that they are not used to seeing.”

“We had a great time in Sicily!” exclaimed team administrator Mario Mastronardi.

Top row, left to right: Coach Manfred Kapper, Blake Aronson, Matt Baressi, David Acuna, Dennis Coke, Tyler McElhinne, Mark Shnadshte, Jamie Schubauer III, Coach Fidel Bedoya, Coach Rosario Candela.
Middle row, left to right: Alex Gibbs, Niall Coffey, Tomas Mejia, Sheldon May, Deandre Golding.
Bottom row, left to right: Ashley Boniface, Leo Musacchia, Timoleon Deliyannis, Jeremy Ayala, Marcello Mastronardi, Samuel Steinberg.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Soccer Referee Certification Class in Manhattan to Be Held in Both English and Spanish

12/16/2011 02:01 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 16, 2011-The Westchester Soccer Referee Organization, proudly serving the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), is very pleased to announce that it is hosting Soccer Referee Certification Courses, one in English and one in Spanish, in Manhattan during the month of January. Upon successful completion of the course by attending classes and passing the written rules test, you will be a US Soccer Grade 8 Referee eligible to referee all youth games as well as be an assistant referee in comparable games. The course includes a registration handbook, preparation for the certification exam, registration with the US Soccer and annual referee organization dues.

The course takes place at the City College of New York on these dates starting at 6:30 pm each night:

• Tuesday, January 10
• Thursday, January 12
• Tuesday, January 17
• Thursday, January 19
• Tuesday, January 24
• Thursday, January 26

Registration is $175. There are three ways to register:

• Phone 212-650-7312
• Online at www.cps.ccny.edu
• In-person at Continuing and Professional Studies, The City College of New York, Shepard Hall, Room 2, Convent Avenue and 140th Street, New York, NY 10031

For more information, please contact Joan Stern at jstern@ccny.cuny.edu or 917-684-4796. A flier in Spanish is attached.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Expands the State Cup to the Under-10 and Under-11 Age Groups

09/28/2011 09:28 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

September 29, 2011-The Arch Capital Group Challenge Cup in the State Cup continues in the Under-12 age groups, both boys and girls, with second round matches completed this past weekend of September 24 and 25. The quarterfinals will be played next spring on May 5 and 6, 2012.

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that the Arch Capital Group Challenge Cup will expand to the Under-10 and Under-11 age groups next spring, 2012, as well. So that means that the State Cup will go back to the future as it will once again be from Under-10 to Under-19, as it was a generation ago.

“In today's market, the parent/coach is virtually extinct and professional trainers are working all over New York State and helping to improve the skills of our players and teams. It’s working as the caliber of play has drastically improved over the years and these teams have been calling on us to reinstitute the State Cup,” commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “Well, we are listening to our leagues, clubs and teams and are bringing back the prestigious State Cup for the Under-10s and Under-11s next spring.”

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

New York Futsal Currently Playing in Manhattan and Expanding to Long Island

01/12/2012 09:35 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 13, 2012-Are you ready for some futsal? The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that its New York Futsal-Manhattan league is going strong this winter with 113 teams-–both travel teams and intramural squads. 55 boys teams, 50 girls teams and eight co-ed squads are having fun at the Tito Puente Education Complex and the James Weldon Johnson School in Manhattan. The schedule kicked off on December 10 and will conclude on March 11.

Meanwhile, New York Futsal-Long Island is kicking off in Nassau and Suffolk counties this winter. Approximately 50 teams, both boys and girls squads, will be playing in the inaugural season being organized by Nick Gordon and Rafael Morais, who are former professional athletes and current soccer trainers. Nick and Rafael are working under the direction of New York Futsal Director Jaime Arias. The schedule will start this month. Venues include Friends Academy in Locust Valley, Paul Gelinas Junior High School in Setauket, Arrowhead Elementary School and Minnesauke Elementary School in East Setauket, R.C. Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook and Mount Sinai Elementary School in Mount Sinai. Plans include expanding New York Futsal leagues to all areas of ENYYSA in the future.

The origins of futsal can be traced to Uruguay in 1930, where, amid the euphoria that greeted that country’s victory at the inaugural World Cup on home soil, there was a soccer ball seemingly being kicked on every street corner in the capital of Montevideo. Juan Carlos Ceriani, an Argentinian physical education instructor living there at the time, observed many youngsters practicing soccer on basketball courts because of the shortage of soccer fields. It was there and then that the idea for a five-a-side variation of soccer came about and futsal was born.

Futsal is the only version of indoor soccer approved by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. FIFA hosts the Futsal World Cup every four years, similar to the four-year cycle for the World Cup and Women’s World Cup. The next Futsal World Cup will be played in Thailand in 2012 and the defending champion is Brazil.

Futsal promotes quality touches and ball control in tight spaces and players take those skills outside when they play soccer. Many of Brazil’s best players ever such as Pelé, Zico, Socrates, Bebeto, Ronaldinho and Marta all played futsal as children. The current World Cup champion nation, Spain, are former Futsal World Cup champions.

“Futsal is simply the best complement to soccer. As a club and Division 1 collegiate coach, I use futsal to develop and increase my players’ technical ability and quick thinking in preparation for our outdoor competitive seasons,” commented Jennifer Medina, the Coaching Director of New York Futsal and a former captain of the United States Women’s Futsal Team. “By splitting up our roster into two or three teams, the extra bonus was that every player got a lot of playing time and had an absolute blast, which made our entire squad better and more confident.”

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Richard Christiano Inducted Into Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

12/19/2011 11:03 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 19, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association are pleased to announce that ENYYSA President Richard Christiano has been inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at Eastern New York’s Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

Although this decade is not quite two years old, it's been very good to Richie as he was inducted into the Long Island Junior Soccer League Hall of Fame last year besides being elected ENYYSA President.

In the late 1970s until the '90s, Richie Christiano was a coach for the New Hyde Park Wildcats and then a member of its Board of Directors. Two decades ago, the LIJSL Select Program operated as two separate entities based on gender. Then LIJSL President Peter Collins asked Richie to take over as the head administrator of the program and unite the boys and girls programs.

The Floral Park, Queens resident insisted that they meet every Wednesday night without fail while he was the Program Director. He delegated, he saw that things got done and he appreciated the work that was done, from the committee to the coaches. He was always a “hands-on” manager but never micro-managed. The staff made contact every day, on the phone or through e-mail, to make sure he was informed. He was always at tryouts, practices and tournaments plus he had time to listen to parents' concerns.

Due to his success with LIJSL Select, Richie became the girls administrator of the ENYYSA Olympic Development Program where he again worked tirelessly to improve it.

Richie served on the LIJSL Board of Directors from 1997 to 2010 plus chaired the LIJSL Membership Committee.

Since his election as ENYYSA President, the state and Capital District Youth Soccer League hosted a very successful Region 1 President's Cup plus the state added sponsors Arch Capital and Herald National Bank, among other successful ventures. These sponsorships help keep costs down for soccer families.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Richard Groff Inducted Into Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

12/19/2011 11:05 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 21, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association are pleased to announce that Richard Gross was inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame on December 17.

The recipient has a long and storied career nationally in soccer as he has dedicated more than 30 years as an administrator growing the sport in the United States and many more as a player, coach and parent.

Richard was elected Vice President of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA) in 1986 and was elected President the following year. He worked to improve the organization from a loose affiliation of clubs and leagues into a structured and profitable state association. On his watch, EPYSA began its annual Workshop, which has just celebrated its 25th year, as well as the camp program, teaching soccer to over 2,000 kids each summer.

Working with US Soccer during the 1980s, EPYSA promoted the US Men's National Team in two memorable, well-attended games in Philadelphia--hosting Ukrainian side Dnepr in 1989 at Franklin Field and Sheffield Wednesday at the old Veteran's Stadium in 1993.

In 1990, Richard was elected Treasurer of US Soccer, serving as a most critical time as it was preparing to host the 1994 World Cup. That event was the most successful World Cup ever.

After the 1994 World Cup, Richard became Commissioner of the American Professional Soccer League that same year. Attendance grew in what became known as the A-League as the United States prepared for the kick-off of Major League Soccer in 1996.

He has travelled to all the World Cups since 1998, blogs about the game and was recently elected President of US Adult Soccer.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame Inducts Steve Kovalenko

12/19/2011 11:07 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 22, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association are pleased to announce that Steve Kovalenko was inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. Steve's induction took place at Eastern New York’s Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

Steve was born in Ulm, Germany but at a young age moved to Brazil, where he grew up and learned to love the game of soccer. He played for youth teams when his parents moved to the United States in 1961 and Steve joined the New York Ukrainians as a junior player for the 1962-63 season. Upon graduating from the junior ranks, he played for various area teams which included Polonia, Greenpoint, Yonkers Ukrainians, Hartford and Newark Ukrainians as well as the New York Hungaria, all venerable clubs from the past. Steve won championships with many of them. In 1974, he returned to the New York Ukrainians as player/coach and has been running that club ever since.

Steve has been fielding two teams since then, a grueling job since whenever he developed a young player, larger clubs come and entice these players to leave for greener pastures, yet Steve has never been discouraged. He’s had remarkable success, especially with the reserves which have won many championships. The first teams also won titles but life in the top division requires financial support which has been difficult to acquire. In addition to league games, Steve also entered many tournaments and again won quite a few of these. Steve also has been on the Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL) executive board for decades.

Over the years, people have come to know Steve quite well and one thing always stood out is his sportsmanship and fairness. His teams won Fair Play trophies from the CSL and in 1998, the referees gave out a once-in-a-lifetime trophy for sportsmanship and Steve received it. He is the only one honored to this day by the CSL refs.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Frank Rottenbucher, Sr. Inducted Into Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

12/19/2011 11:08 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 27, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association are very pleased to announce that Frank Rottenbucher, Sr. hasbeen inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at Eastern New York’s Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

"Frank has a long history in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League where he was a proponent of youth development and promotion. He is very worthy of this honor," commented Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) Secretary Emil Cohill.

Upon the request of his former teammates, Frank Rottenbucher, Jr. nominated his father with the enthusiastic approval of the CJSL. Our honoree coached youth soccer with the Clarkstown Soccer Club, Rockland Rowdies, Spring Valley Soccer Club and Yonkers Soccer Club. He started the first youth soccer team ever in Rockland County and his teams won an amazing 47 championships from 1969 to 1983.

"His players have gone on to successful college, professional and coaching careers," Frank's son commented. "I can't count the number of kids he coached, but to this day when I run into them, they always comment how much my father meant to them!"

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Peter Sedlmair Inducted Into Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

12/19/2011 11:14 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 29, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association are pleased to announce that Peter Sedlmair was inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at Eastern New York’s Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

Peter has seemingly done it all as he has been a player, coach, manager, registrar, board member, league president and league founder during the past four decades.

He has been the President and Manager of the Croton Soccer Club from 1985 to the present. He is the player/coach of their Over-40 team and coaches the Boys-Under-15 team that plays in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League.

Peter founded the Northern Westchester Soccer League in 1990, serving as its President for the past 21 years. He has also served as Registrar of the Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association since 1990. He has served as the Northern Westchester Soccer League's Division Chairman in the Eastern District Soccer League since 1995.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Matthew Schwartz Honored as Eastern New York’s Young Referee of the Year

01/05/2012 08:21 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 10, 2012-Congratulations to Matthew Schwartz as he was honored as the Eastern New York 2011 Young Referee of the Year in a selection by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association.

The 17-year-old East Meadow resident studies at W.T. Clarke High School in Westbury. Matthew whistles top Long Island Junior Soccer League games every weekend and refereed the Arch Capital Group Challenge Cup Finals at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview last June.

“Matthew has shown character beyond his years on the field with enthusiasm for advancing through the ranks,” commented State Youth Referee Administrator Ray Wolfe.

Matthew is a member of the Long Island Soccer Referees Association and their Assigning Chairperson, Nanci Apostolides, said, “Matthew is available to referee as much as possible and truly understands what refereeing is all about.”

When he is not refereeing, he plays goalkeeper for the Boys-Under-17 Albertson Academy that plays in the ENYYSA Premier League.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Jonathan Weinstein Honored as the Boys Soccer Coach of the Year

01/04/2012 09:25 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 4, 2012-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Jonathan Weinstein has been selected as our Boys Coach of the Year. The Boys-Under-13 Cortlandt Cobras coach was honored at the Eastern New York Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

Jonathan has been a coach for nearly 15 years in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL), having cycled all the way from developmental through high school boys with his oldest son before returning back to young boys which he is again bringing forward as they grow. His nominations all stressed his demeanor plus his skill as a teacher and role model. The Croton-on-Hudson resident is the epitome of good sportsmanship and the Cobras won the EHYSL Sportsmanship Award in 2009-10.

Jonathan’s focus is consistently on player development first and results second. Yet the Cobras won the Michael Oremus Memorial Tournament at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome in November 2011. The Cobras also recently placed second at the Columbus Day White Water Classic in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and second at the MSSL Fort Dix Memorial Day Blast in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Jonathan is also the Cortlandt Soccer Club’s Secretary as well as being a certified US Soccer referee.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Jeff Naso Honored as the Girls Soccer Coach of the Year

01/03/2012 03:26 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 2, 2012-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Jeff Naso has been honored as our Girls Coach of the Year. Jeff, coach of the Girls-Under-13 East Fishkill Power of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League, received a plaque commemorating this honor at the Eastern New York Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

Jeff was the recipient of countless nominations. Most importantly, they all spoke about his positive attitude towards the game and the kids, his commitment to playing the game fairly and positively plus his encouraging persona which gets the most from his girls. Although his daughter no longer plays, his commitment to this team has never wavered.

Proving that nice guys need not finish last, the Power has amassed a record of 134-39-39 while winning numerous championships along the way.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

E.J. Schwarz Honored as the Soccer Administrator of the Year

01/03/2012 03:27 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 4, 2012-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that E.J. Schwarz of the Long Island Junior Soccer League’s Northport/Cow Harbor United Soccer Club has been honored as our Administrator of the Year. The Northport resident was honored at the Eastern New York Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola, Long Island.

In over 30 years as a youth soccer volunteer, E.J. has served as a coach, registrar, Director of Training and Development plus Camp Director. The developmental programs she created continue to provide the foundation for the skills development of the Northport/Cow Harbor players. The Long Island Junior Soccer League Hall of Famer also coached the Northport/Cow Harbor Piranha girls team to the U.S. Youth Soccer national championship in both 1997 and 1999. Throughout her tenure, E.J.'s focus has consistently been on the good of the kids, the good of the game and the best interests of soccer on Long Island.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Brian Dunn Twice Selected as the Soccer Referee of the Year

01/03/2012 03:36 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 9, 2012-2011 was a very good year for referee Brian Dunn. In November, the New Hyde Park resident was voted by his colleagues in the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA) as the chapter’s Referee of the Year.

In December, Brian was named as the Eastern New York Referee of the Year in a selection by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association. He was chosen as the top ref among the more than 2,000 registered refs in Eastern New York. Brian, a National Referee, looks forward to the Major League Soccer pre-season camp in Fort Lauderdale this month. And should he not have any professional games on his schedule on any given weekend, Brian will be back refereeing Long Island Junior Soccer League games.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

ENYYSA Heralds a New Sponsorship

11/01/2011 07:38 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 1, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), one of the largest state soccer associations in the United States with 120,000 youth soccer players, is pleased to announce a new sponsorship agreement with Herald National Bank, which becomes the Official Bank of the ENYYSA. Herald National Bank (NYSE AMEX: HNB) is a relationship-based banking institution dedicated to serving the commercial and private banking needs of small to mid-size businesses, their owners, executives and senior managers, as well as high-net-worth individuals in the New York metropolitan area. They currently have three offices located in Manhattan (623 Fifth Avenue), Brooklyn (1333 60th Street) and Melville, Long Island (58 South Service Road).

“Herald National Bank is a wonderful organization that truly gives back to our community through sponsoring non-profit organizations such as the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association,” commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “Their sponsorship money will provide needed funds to keep costs down for soccer families.”

“Herald National Bank is pleased to support the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, which provides healthy and constructive recreation for youngsters across major metropolitan New York, while promoting values such as teamwork and self-discipline,” said Mario Caracappa, Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Herald National Bank.

From left to right-ENYYSA Treasurer Jim Eleftherion, Herald National Bank Managing Director and Senior VP Mario Caracappa, ENYYSA President Richard Christiano.

From left to right-ENYYSA President Richard Christiano, Herald National Bank Managing Director and Senior VP Mario Caracappa, ENYYSA Treasurer Jim Eleftherion. In foreground are the Rockville Centre Nitro, a Long Island Junior Soccer League Boys-Under-10 team

Newburgh Armory to Become a Home Field to ENYYSA’s Olympic Development Program

10/18/2011 12:18 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

October 17, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that the renovated Newburgh Armory in Orange County is becoming a home to our Olympic Development Program. ENYYSA will also use the Newburgh Armory for Coaching Education classes.

“The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association is absolutely delighted to enter into this partnership with the Newburgh Armory Unity Center to provide a home base for our Olympic Development Program-North and Coaching Education classes in Newburgh,” commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “Just as importantly, we also believe that this refurbished facility will help keep kids off the streets and on soccer fields.”

Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League (HVYSL) President Elaine Cannella was instrumental in helping create this new partnership between two non-profit groups––ENYYSA and the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.

“The Newburgh Armory Unity Center is primarily dedicated to the community that surrounds it and its mission is to foster both academics and athletics,” commented HVYSL President Elaine Cannella. “Utilization of this state-of-the-art complex will be coordinated with the Newburgh Armory’s Executive Director.”

The complex consists of three full-sized outdoor grass fields plus one indoor turf field measuring 67 yards x 39 yards. The indoor field will open this February. The fields will also be used by the HVYSL Select Program as well as Real FC and CONA (City of Newburgh Armory) and local clubs. Any club can request the use of the facility plus local tournaments might be played on the fields in the future as well.

The renovation of the Newburgh Armory is truly a win-win situation for the kids of ENYYSA and the children of the City of Newburgh.

(Artist’s rendition attached of the Newburgh Armory. The third outdoor field not depicted in this drawing is currently part of Delano Hitch Park and is across the street. Photo attached of HVYSL President Elaine Cannella with Hudson Valley philanthropist William Kaplan outside the Newburgh Armory.)

Bethpage’s Ernie Constantine Selected to Referee the ODP Finals in Dallas Next March

09/28/2011 09:35 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

September 30, 2011-Remember the name Ernie Constantine as he could be one of the next top soccer officials in the United States in the near future. Ernie is 22 years old and took up the whistle as a teenager. He recently graduated from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania with a BA in Business and Economics and now works for a Manhattan hedge fund administrator. While in college, he officiated games in Pennsylvania around his studies.

“Ernie is a very nice young man who does a great job on the field!” commented Eastern New York State Referee Administrator Howard Rubinstein.

Ernie, a Bethpage resident, has been a United States Soccer Federation referee since 2003. He’s been invited to several Region 1 Olympic Development Program tournaments and was one of 18 referees invited to the Region 1 ODP Championships in Kirkwood, Delaware last June. He also officiated the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship Series Regionals in Lancaster, Pennsylvania this past summer as well. It was the strength of his performance in Delaware that he will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) by officiating the ODP Finals in Dallas next March.

“I am honored and privileged to have the opportunity to represent Eastern New York and Region 1 at the ODP National Championships,” Ernie commented. “Ever since I became a Grade 8 back in 2003, it has been a goal of mine to climb to the top. And now as a Grade 5 State Referee, I am slowly but surely getting there.”

“Ernie has been officiating ODP tournaments for the past three years,” said State Youth Referee Administrator Ray Wolfe. “He started out refereeing in the Long Island Junior Soccer League. People like him, he did an excellent job at the Regionals and he has been invited to referee the prestigious ODP Finals in Dallas next year.”

Sarah Dwyer-Shick Named Division Head Coach for ENYYSA¹s Girls Olympic Development Program-North

12/13/2011 08:43 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 12, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Olympic Development Program Director Gregg Satzinger are very pleased to announce that Sarah Dwyer-Shick has been appointed a Division Head Coach for the Girls ODP-Program North. Because of the vast geographic size of ENYYSA, the Olympic Development Program is divided into North and South programs. The North program goes from Westchester to the Canadian border and our North players train at the renovated Newburgh Armory.

“I’m very happy to announce Sarah’s appointment and confident that she will go beyond expectations and bring the Girls ODP-North program to a new level,” Mr. Satzinger commented.

Sarah has more than 10 years of collegiate coaching experience. She was the head coach of the women’s program at Pace University in 2008 and 2009 following two seasons as the assistant women's soccer coach at Marist, where the team was the MAAC Regular Season Champion and Tournament runner-up in 2007. While at Marist, she was responsible for training the goalkeepers and coordinating youth clinics and tournaments, while assisting in on-field training sessions.

Prior to her time at Marist, the Beacon resident was the head women's soccer coach at Vassar. Sarah has also served as the assistant women's soccer coach at Stony Brook University (2002-2003) and South Dakota State University (2000-2002).

Sarah began her coaching career at the University of Northern Colorado from 1996 to 1998. While there, she helped lead the Bears to back-to-back conference championships and NCAA Division 2 Tournament appearances.

At the youth level, Sarah has been the New York Rush/Patriots FC goalkeeper coach from 2008 to the present, where she develops and runs the year-round goalkeeper training program for all teams. She has also served as an ENYYSA Olympic Development Program goalkeeper coach since 2006 and trains teams for Briarcliff Youth Soccer Club and is a youth instructor at Club Fit. She also coaches with the World of Football Summer School in Austria and Brazil where she coordinates and runs training sessions in English and German.

In addition to her wealth of coaching experience, Sarah has earned the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National Youth license, the Advanced National Diploma and the Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). She is also certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Sarah received a B.A. in American Studies and a minor in Sports Studies from Smith College in 1996. She then went on to get her Masters in Sports Management from the University of Denver in 2000.

In her playing days, she played soccer for both the Smith College and the University of Denver. She also played lacrosse at Denver.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Director of Assessment Klaus Mueller Honored For His Many Years of Service to Referees

11/18/2011 11:10 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 22, 2011-The Assessment Program of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York Senior Soccer Association evaluates referees, offers suggestions and helps refs climb the ladder of success as they move from youth soccer to senior matches to possibly professional games.

Klaus Mueller has been Eastern New York’s Director of Assessment for the past five years. The Levittown resident started refereeing in 1984 and eventually became a State Referee.

“A highlight of my officiating career was working some professional games,” Klaus commented.

He was honored on November 14 as he received the Service Award from the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA), a college referee group. The NYMISOA referees voted for Klaus for the Service Award and he received twice as many votes as the runner-up.

Klaus joined NYMISOA over a decade ago and received the New Official of the Year Award in 2000.

Also honored by NYMISOA last week were New Hyde Park’s Brian Dunn as the 2011 Official of the Year, Saam Jalayer of Coram as Assistant Referee of the Year and Levittown’s Sima Draguca as the New Official of the Year. Especially during this Thanksgiving week, ENYYSA is very grateful that wonderful referees such as Klaus, Brian, Saam and Sima continue to be actively involved in youth soccer when they are not officiating college or senior games.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

ODP Coach Zef Kabashi Becomes the First Coach to Receive the NYMISOA Sportsmanship Award With Two Different College Programs

11/18/2011 11:08 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 21, 2011-Nearly 100 intercollegiate soccer officials from the five boroughs of New York City plus the suburbs of Long Island and Westchester officiate in the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA). Every year, these officials vote on which coaches have displayed the highest amount of sportsmanship during the college and junior college season. Congratulations to Zef Kabashi as the Carle Place resident became the first coach to receive the NYMISOA Sportsmanship Award with two different college programs. He won coaching the Hostos Community College men in 2007 and after resurrecting the Queensborough Community College men’s soccer program this year.

Zef was honored at the NYMISOA Awards Dinner on November 14 at the Sterling in Bethpage, Long Island.

“I have refereed a game that Zef coached as well as a senior game in which he played and I see why our referees consistently vote for Zef for sportsmanship as he brings a positive attitude to the game,” commented NYMISOA Vice President Randy Vogt. “While he is leading his team, Zef simply lets the officials officiate the match without complaints.”

In the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), Zef is a popular coach with the Boys-Under-17 Olympic Development Program South team as well as the Boys-Under-18 Downtown United team that plays in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League.

Especially on this Thanksgiving week, ENYYSA is very thankful to coaches such as Zef for all they do to develop soccer skills and instill character in their players.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Julian DiDonato Appointed Trustee of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

11/18/2011 09:04 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 17, 2011-Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) President Richard Christiano has appointed Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) President Julian DiDonato to become a trustee of ENYYSA. He was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors at the ENYYSA General Meeting on November 14.

Julian became involved in soccer as many adults do, through their children. In 1990, his twin son and daughter started playing intramural soccer and he became “enamored with seeing all these kids running around playing a healthy activity at such an early age.” The Eastchester resident’s outgoing personality and positive views soon helped him climb the youth soccer ladder, from assistant coach in the Eastchester Youth Soccer Club to Vice President and Director of WYSL’s League Select Program to currently WYSL President. Julian’s initiatives, organizational and management skills have helped develop the WYSL into one of the largest leagues in ENYYSA with 17,000 players. As WYSL President, Julian is experimenting with a gender-specific soccer ball for teenage girls’ play among other innovative concepts for his league.

“I am very pleased to become a trustee of ENYYSA as this is a very important organization and there is an important need in a positive direction for youth soccer,” Julian commented.

Oceanside United Organizes Indoor Soccer Play Throughout the Winter at Coleman Country Day Camp in Merrick

11/07/2011 02:19 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 15, 2011-Oceanside United of the Long Island Junior Soccer League and Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association already organized the oldest youth indoor soccer tournament in the United States. The 45th Annual Rudy Lamonica Indoor Tournament will be played by travel teams and intramural squads this February and March at Coleman Country Day Camp. The applicable age groups go from Under-7 to Under-13. The tournament’s namesake, Rudy Lamonica, scored more than half of Oceanside High School’s goals during 1968 and 1969 in leading the Sailors to consecutive Long Island championships. He also starred in the indoor tournament that now bears his name during the winters of ’68 and ’69. One year later, bone cancer was discovered and doctors amputated Rudy’s right leg, hoping to stop the spread of the disease. Through all the turmoil, Rudy kept his spirits high. He passed away at the age of 17 during the closing days of the 1970 fall season after volunteering as Oceanside High School’s assistant coach. To this day, his mother Bessie still hands out trophies at the tournament every year, in addition to leading the fundraising efforts of the scholarship program that bears her son's name. Oceanside United’s Rudy Lamonica Scholarship program has awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors that have participated in the Oceanside United program.

Not content to sit on its laurels of organizing this classic tournament, Oceanside United kicks off indoor play this winter with the Coleman Cup Kickoff being played over Thanksgiving weekend. Each team plays one day either on Saturday, November 26 or Sunday, November 27 and is guaranteed at least three 28-minute games with the top two teams in each age group meeting in the final for the Coleman Cup. The Under-9 and Under-10 squads, both boys and girls, play on turf at the Coleman Grand Playhouse, 40 yards x 30 yards. The Under-11 to Under-13 squads, both boys and girls, play at the Coleman Bubble, 50 yards x 33 yards.

But there’s more as Oceanside United hosts a Continuous Play Tournament with a 10-game weekend season from December 3 to March 11. The boys play on Saturdays and the girls play on Sundays. The Under-7 to Under-9 age groups play at the Coleman Grand Playhouse while the Under-10 to Under-12 age groups have fun on the larger surface at the Coleman Bubble.

To become a part of the exciting winter planned by Oceanside United, visit the club’s website at http://www.ousc.com/

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Longtime ENYYSA Coach Kenny Yatsuhashi Returns to Japan After Successful Two Decades in New York

11/07/2011 02:13 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 9, 2011-The penalty kick shootout of the Women’s World Cup Final is not the only thing that the United States has lost to Japanese soccer as longtime Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) coach Kenichi “Kenny” Yatsuhashi is returning to his native county.

The current Brooklyn resident came to New York in December 1988 and established himself as a very popular coach much more concerned with his players and their development than actual wins and losses. Youth teams that he coached included the Elmont Ravens girls team in the Long Island Junior Soccer League, the Brooklyn Patriots boys team in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League plus the Gotham Girls Chargers of the Westchester Youth Soccer League and ENYYSA Premier League. He also served as a referee.

Before coaching the junior college ASA men during the past two years, Kenny coached both the men’s and women’s teams of the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). During his stellar career at BMCC, his men’s teams won six conference championships, a Region XV Championship and a District Championship. In 2005, Coach Yatsuhashi guided BMCC to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament, finishing as the third-best team in the country. That same year, he was awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Coach of the Year by his peers. Coach Yatsuhashi has also had the honor of coaching the City University of New York (CUNY) Athletic Conference All-Star team, which competed in the Goodwill South African Tour. On top of winning championships, his teams have been chosen for two Region XV Sportsmanship awards and two additional Sportsmanship Awards as voted by the referees of the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA).

Prior to his return to Japan, NYMISOA honored Coach Yatsuhashi by giving him a Certificate of Appreciation for all that he has done to promote soccer and sportsmanship in New York soccer for the past 23 years.

“In the United States, I have found many outstanding soccer people,” Coach Yatsuhashi commented. “This is my most rewarding experience to take it with me wherever I go.”

"If you have played for a team that I coached, thank you!" he added. "I can't say anything else, but I really appreciate time, effort, sweat, sacrifice, joy, disappointment and growth together."

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Pete Bussa Replaces Michael D’Ambrosio in Leading the TOPSoccer Special Chidren’s Program in New York

10/05/2011 12:14 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

October 7, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that Pete Bussa has replaced one of his neighbors in Oceanside, Michael D’Ambrosio, as the Chairperson of the TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program. D’Ambrosio will now assist Bussa with the TOPSoccer Program throughout the ENYYSA territory, covering the entire state of New York east of Route 81. D’Ambrosio remains active with ENYYSA as Chairperson of the Registration Committee and is also on the Arbitration Committee. He has many other roles in soccer including being a trustee of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, Chairperson of the LIJSL’s Supervisory Committee plus the liaison from the LIJSL to both TOPSoccer and the Long Island Soccer Referees Association. For all this and other volunteering, D’Ambrosio was recently selected by the Kiwanis Club in Oceanside as their Man of the Year for 2011.

Bussa became active with the TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program 15 years ago when a player he was coaching had a sibling who has Down’s Syndrome. He eventually discovered that “working with the Special kids is what I was meant to do.”

In his new role, he looks to increase participation.

“While the Long Island Junior Soccer League has many clubs with Special Children’s Programs, there is more untapped potential for the TOPSoccer Program in the other areas of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association,” Bussa commented. “Although there are pockets of TOPSoccer Programs north of New York City, the less concentrated population there has been a hindrance to participation as it sometimes takes a half-hour to drive the Special kids to one of their fields. I look forward to sitting down with the league Presidents to get these Special kids off the couch and on soccer fields.”

The TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program is for those children with mental and/or physical challenging conditions. This program was initiated to accommodate those children who are not able to participate in a regular or mainstream soccer activity. It provides an opportunity for that child who deviates from the average or normal child in mental, physical or social characteristics to such an extent that he or she requires modified educational practices and services in order to develop to his or her maximum capacity. As such, any child with a severe auditory or visual impairment, orthopedic handicap, behavior deviations or mental retardation would benefit from a special sports program because he or she requires a special learning environment that is directed towards identifying and remediating their physical as well as cognitive deficits. This could include cerebral dysfunctions, impulse disorders, mental retardation, Down's syndrome, physical handicaps, learning disabilities, epilepsy, etc.

“Peter was one of the founders of the Oceanside TOPSoccer Program and he is now actively involved with the Lynbrook/East Rockaway TOPSoccer Program,” D’Ambrosio said. “He looks to expand the TOPSoccer Program that has been built during the past few years, especially in underserved areas, and I’m sure that he’ll do very well.”

For information on finding and registering your child on a team in your area, please contact Chairperson Pete Bussa at 516-536-7808.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Come Play With Me! Special Children Kick Off Their Fall Soccer Season

09/26/2011 11:50 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

September 26, 2011-Back in 1978, the Long Island Junior Soccer League became the first formal soccer league to start a Special Children’s Program at a time when Special Children playing sports was not as accepted as it is today. Under the slogan of “Come Play With Me,” the Special kids kicked off their Fall Season on September 10 at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview. The TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program continues to expand and now there are 18 LIJSL clubs with Special programs:

• Auburndale
• Commack
• East Islip
• Garden City Centennials
• Hauppauge
• Huntington Boys Club
• Levittown
• Massapequa
• New Hyde Park Wildcats
• North Shore SCO
• Oceanside United
• Plainview/Old Bethpage Highlanders
• Rockville Centre
• Sachem
• Smithtown Kickers
• South Huntington
• Terryville
• West Islip

There are two main highlights to the Fall Season. The first is the New Hyde Park Special Children’s Tournament at the Denton Avenue School on Saturday, October 22 from 9 am to noon. Team photos will be taken. The rain date is Saturday, October 29.

The second highlight is the Special Children’s Awards Dinner will be held at the Huntington Hilton on Friday night, December 2. The Marg McGory Memorial Award, given to the volunteer who has contributed the most to the LIJSL Special Children’s Program during the past year, will be given.

Arguably the most well-known current LIJSL player is Craig Ludin of the Huntington Boys Club Special Children’s Program. Despite his Down’s Syndrome, Craig is a top athlete and in 2007 he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, located in Commack.

“It’s pretty cool to see Craig’s name in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame alongside the names of Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg, Mark Spitz and Marty Glickman,” commented his father, Mike Ludin.

The TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program is for those children with mental and/or physical challenging conditions. This program was initiated to accommodate those children who are not able to participate in a regular or mainstream soccer activity. It provides an opportunity for that child who deviates from the average or normal child in mental, physical or social characteristics to such an extent that he or she requires modified educational practices and services in order to develop to his or her maximum capacity. As such, any child with a severe auditory or visual impairment, orthopedic handicap, behavior deviations or mental retardation would benefit from a special sports program because he or she requires a special learning environment that is directed towards identifying and remediating their physical as well as cognitive deficits. This could include cerebral dysfunctions, impulse disorders, mental retardation, Down's syndrome, physical handicaps, learning disabilities, epilepsy, etc.

The LIJSL has the largest but not the only TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. The Capital District Youth Soccer League, East Hudson Youth Soccer League, Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League, Staten Island Youth Soccer League and Westchester Youth Soccer League all have programs. TOPSoccer Special Children’s Chairperson Michael D’Ambrosio hopes that more leagues and clubs join this wonderful program. For information on registering your child on a team in your area, please contact the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association at 516-766-0849.

Westchester Youth Soccer League Experimenting With a Smaller Ball For Teenage Girls

08/31/2011 09:10 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

August 31, 2011-Soccer players in youth leagues up to and including the Under-12 age group play with a size 4 ball. As the kids become teenagers, Under-13 games and older use a size 5 ball.

Yet the average girl does not grow to be nearly as tall or weigh as much as the average boy so is using a size 5 ball appropriate for girl’s and women’s games? That’s what a group in Denmark pondered and in 2008, the Danish Football Association gave permission to experiment with a size 4.5 ball (26.37” circumference) in Girls-Under-18 and women’s games.

Now that experiment has come to these shores as the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association has been experimenting with a size 4.5 ball, dubbed the Sensational Soccer Ball, for girls players who have been using the 4 ball as they are graduating to the 5 ball as Under-13 players. A WYSL player originally from Denmark and living in Edgemont went back to Denmark, found out about the Sensational Soccer Ball and brought one back. The WYSL eventually purchased 300 balls.

“We had a Girls-Under-13 scrimmage game between the ODP team and the WYSL Select Team,” commented WYSL President Julian DiDonato. “The game was a different game using the 4.5 ball. The game sped up and the ball was kicked further. It was girls soccer on steroids.”

“But we asked the players after the scrimmage how they felt about the ball and most hated it as it felt different than playing with the 5 ball to them. So rather than taking a 5 ball away from players, we decided to experiment in practices and friendly games with the 4.5 ball as girls go from the 4 ball to the 5 ball,” continued Mr. DiDonato.

In a small survey of 30 female soccer players conducted by the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany, the poll found that 80% of those surveyed fund the Sensational Soccer Ball to be better to the Jabulani, the ball used in the 2010 men’s World Cup in South Africa. Only 17% found the Sensational Soccer Ball to be “a bit worse” and nobody found it “worse” or “much worse.” 47% felt like better soccer players when using the Sensational Soccer Ball, 33% did not know and 20% disagreed. 66% thought it was more fun to play with the Sensational Soccer Ball, 27% did not know and only 7% disagreed. 60% wanted to continue using the Sensational Soccer Ball, 33% did not know and 7% wanted to go back to the Jabulani.

There is a question if the Sensational Soccer Ball can cut down on the rash of knee injuries of teenage girls and women soccer players.

“There are probably a multitude of reasons why girls have issues with meniscus tears and torn ACLs,” Mr. DiDonato added. “Many knee injuries have occurred toward the end of soccer games, when players are fatigued. Could kicking a soccer ball heavier than what is meant for the female body be contributing to these injuries?”

For more information, please contact Angela Olcese of the WYSL at aolcese@wyslsoccer.org or 914-235-5110. WYSL Questionare

Chinatown’s Lexton Moy is Playing Soccer Professionally in Asia

08/16/2011 02:25 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

August 15, 2011-When it comes to Manhattan’s Chinatown and soccer, perhaps the only thing that comes to mind is Steve Nash’s annual Showdown in Chinatown, a charity soccer event with NBA and world soccer stars playing at Roosevelt Park in Chinatown. Yet there is one soccer player from the local area, a midfielder and defender, who is playing soccer professionally.

Lexton Moy, now 26 years old, grew up in an apartment on Bayard Street and played for the Region 1 team for three years and Eastern New York Olympic Development Program (ODP) team for four years. He played six years for the Long Island Junior Soccer League’s Merrick Magic Red Storm, coached by Gregg Knight and Steve Cadet. Merrick won two State Cups and the 2001 Sun Bowl in Florida.

“Our team was truly something special. What a great group of players and parents alike! They always say no other team will be as strong and as close-knit club team as Merrick. And understandably, we played together for six years, some on the team for even more,” commented Lexton. “Where else do you get to play with the same people for that long at the highest level in the competitive field? It was a true honor to grow up playing on such a team. I remember such a fulfilling time with such amazing characters and that drives me to develop youth players, in hopes to give them a glimpse of what I was so lucky enough to have experienced.”

“Lexton was a great kid to coach. He was absolutely wonderful,” said Magic Red Storm coach Gregg Knight. “I used to drive him home to Manhattan from Long Island two nights a week after practice.”

The Merrick team once all had a meal with the Moys at a Chinatown restaurant.

“That was a wonderful experience for all the kids on the team, who were around 15 years old at the time,” added Coach Knight.

Lexton also played as a guest player with the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League’s Silver Lake Rams, coached by Burt Wilkes, the current CJSL President. Lexton played for the Rams at the USA Cup.

Lexton attended high school at Friends Seminary in Manhattan, the alma mater of President Theodore Roosevelt, Liev Schreiber, Kyra Sedgwick and Vera Wang. He was honored as the Independent School Athletic League Soccer Player of the Year for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003. He attended Rutgers for two years, then played for Long Island University in Brooklyn, where he was named LIU’s Scholar/Athlete of the Year in 2008.

“It was an absolute pleasure to have coached Lexton in college. He was driven, bright and always open to learning,” commented LIU Blackbirds coach TJ Kostecky. “During his career, he improved every season by expanding his game and becoming our most consistent and reliable defender. Seeing him live his dream of playing professionally in Hong Kong and now in the Philippines is simply wonderful! He is a deserving young man.”

During the summer of 2007, Lexton captured the Premier Development League national championship with the Laredo Heat. He also played for the New York Athletic Club of the National Premier Soccer League in 2008 and 2009, then it was off to Asia.

“I went to Hong Kong in the summer of 2009 seeking trials with a few clubs,” Lexton stated. “Being that I am half Chinese and I speak Cantonese, I figured Hong Kong would be a good fit for me, as I spoke the language and the city-living transition would be quite smooth. I saw the opportunity to play, live and learn in a different country too enticing to pass up. Not to mention that fact that it would be a great chance for me as an American Born Chinese, ‘ABC,’ to revisit my family heritage and learn more about my culture. My goals were to sign a professional contract playing soccer but really on another level learn about my heritage. So, after hoping a flight overseas, I soon realized what an attribute it was to be an ABC in Hong Kong. Although socially-captivating and interesting, my ABC status really hurt my playing opportunity. My foreigner status became a issue when teams looked to sign me. Since I was an American citizen, I would have to sign as a foreign player, to which each teams had a specific cap and the league only sanctioned eight foreign players for each team and playing a total of five in each game. After trying out with Fourway Rangers, before negotiations began, I opted to seek trials with another team, Shatin. I trained with Shatin for two weeks to which the coach enjoyed the way I played and fit into the team. The manager on the other hand, didn’t want to sign a Chinese player in place of a foreign player spot. Lastly, I went on trial with Tai Chung, an absolutely new team that was promoted from the 2nd Division the year before. Because the team was new, there were less cliques and I felt that the talent and level was more true to the game during training camp. The coach was also a new coach, young and new to the 1st Division. I was signed with not bias to my Chinese heritage nor foreigner status.”

For the 2009-10 season, Tai Chung finished with a record of 4-6-8.

“Throughout the year, I took on other responsibilities on the team as I saw the opportunity to really fulfill my time and potential in Hong Kong. Right from training camp, I became the team translator for our English-speaking foreign players, and our Cantonese-speaking coach. All events, meetings and gatherings became my job to translate for our players and staff. Which really made for a unique experience being able to connect so many people and be a part of most interactions on the team,” Lexton added. “Secondly, the new team didn’t have a website. With my experience with my Spirrs network I had started when I was in South Africa, I told the team that I could build the team website. So I managed that entire site for the whole season. Naturally with the interaction on and off the field with the website, press and fans, I was all ready set up to lead a pretty cool fan base for our newly-formed team. Between the struggles of finding a team due to my foreign status, finding a quality team comparatively, being the team translator, building and running the team website and reintroducing a different life into the soccer fans through our fan club, I really feel I had quite the experience in Hong Kong.”

Lexton was asked by Tai Chung to play another season but opted to come home to Manhattan to recuperate––by training Under-10 and Under-11 players at Chelsea Piers plus giving private training lessons. Plus he created a Chinatown clothing line, CYNONYC.

“A few months back, my buddy Nate Burkey asked me if I ever would be interested in trying out and playing for the Philippines national team. After working and living the working life, I felt the itch and the urge to play really came back. I knew that I had to wait until that passion came back before I could really take on any serious offers or opportunities to play. So, being half Filipino, I made arrangements for citizenship and I’m planning to fly to the Philippines this week. I have trials with Kaya FC and once I get there I will have arrangements to try out for the National Team. Much like my Hong Kong efforts, my goal to the Philippines will not only be to play and represent my mother’s country in the sport I love, but it’s really to reconnect and learn more about my heritage and culture.”

The Philippines could use all the help that it can get soccer-wise. While the United States has not started World Cup qualification yet for Brazil 2014, 35 nations have been eliminated already including the Philippines.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

(Photo Courtesy of LIU)

ENY Youth Soccer Association Announces Agreement With The Sport Source - College Planning Tool

07/25/2011 03:27 PM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

July 21, 2011-One of the most important decisions that a person will ever make is deciding which college to attend. A proficiency for playing soccer helps to gain entry and possibly scholarship to the school of choice. But how do teenagers and their families begin the college planning process?

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, one of the largest state soccer organizations in the United States, is very pleased to offer College Planning Resources and Tips from The Sport Source®.

A number of factors need to be taken into account when selecting a college such as:

Area of academic interest
Local vs. away-from-home
Commuting vs. residential campus
Large vs. small school
The cost of education

College coaches are constantly on the lookout for new prospects. Often, you will find coaches at tournaments viewing any number of players. For prospective college players, it is of utmost importance that they do a thorough investigation of potential colleges in order to be identified as early as possible. Important vehicles for showcasing abilities include tournaments, club soccer, high school soccer and the Eastern New York Olympic Development Program. Many coaches begin identifying potential prospects in the early years of high school.

“Choosing a major and subsequently a college plus whether to play college soccer are very important decisions for teenage soccer players,” commented Richard Christiano, President of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. “Eastern New York is delighted to make these decisions a bit easier by partnering with The Sport Source® as our players will have access to researching nearly 6,000 colleges across the United States in their online database.”

“We’re excited to work with the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, especially based on the people who I have been communicating with, as there is a real passion for helping each and every one of their players,” added Charlie Kadupski, Founder/CEO of The Sport Source®. “Every great organization needs people who have passion!”

Since 1989, The Sport Source® has been connecting kids to colleges using a proven methodology of an online network of more than 28,000 college coaches covering 23 collegiate sports. With over 5,800 institutions of higher learning in their online database, students and families could find the perfect fit in seconds.

Click here for a Demo

Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association and Score® Apparel Renew Their Sponsorship Agreement

07/13/2011 11:55 AM

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

July 13, 2011-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association is very pleased to announce that ENYYSA and Score® Apparel of Wilmington, California have renewed a new, four-year sponsorship agreement. This is the fifth consecutive year that Score® will be sponsoring the ENYYSA. All of Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program players and coaches plus ENYYSA volunteers will continue to wear Score® apparel in ENYYSA’s colors of blue-and-yellow.

“In today's hard economic times, it’s a pleasure to be able to renew a new, four-year agreement with Score® Apparel as the official sponsor of ENYYSA,” commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “Besides outfitting all of the ODP players and coaches, they generously have worked with some of our inner city clubs to outfit those players at no cost. We look forward to another four years with Score®.”

“We could not be more delighted to sponsor the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association for the fifth consecutive year as it is one of the top organizations in youth soccer,” said Mark Botterill, Chief Operating Officer of Score® Apparel.

With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

State Open Cup Finals Gallery

06/08/2011 09:18 AM

Check out the photos from the State Open Cup finals played at Stringham Park on June 4 and 5. 16 champions were crowned last weekend. The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association would like to thank the LaGrange Soccer Club for being such wonderful hosts and having the fields in pristine condition. Watch this website for profiles on all the State Cup-winning teams. Photos by Randy Vogt.

Girls U18: Albertson: Gold Premier Fury 92 vs Syosset Sting 92 Elite

Boys U17: Blackwatch Midothians vs Auburndale Bayside Aston Villa

Girls U17: East Meadow Express vs Albertson 93 Fury

Boys U18: Smithtown Wizards vs Garden City Cladiators

Boys U12: HBC United vs New York Soccer Club 98/99