By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer 
Association
July 28, 2022-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) congratulates Madeline Bobnick, who is receiving a Jack Bauman Scholarship, which is based on success in high school as well as community service. The scholarship’s namesake, Jack Bauman, is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. He was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club and Eastern New York.
Madeline was a National Honor Society member at Beacon High School, being the President of the Honor Society as a senior and the society’s Historian as a junior. She was captain of the Bulldogs’ varsity soccer team plus also was a member of the basketball, lacrosse plus track and field teams.
In youth soccer, Madeline was the captain of her LaGrange Soccer Club team plus also played for Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP).
In her essay, she wrote that “Jack Bauman dedicated himself to ensuring that young female athletes had the same opportunities as boys. Sadly, that work is not done.
As a nine-year-old soccer player, aspiring to move beyond the recreational program to more competitive travel leagues, I found that decades of poor investment had resulted in a dearth of girls’ teams in my age bracket. Undeterred, I chose to pursue my ambitions playing on a boys’ team. After the first year, the coach tried to convince my family to find a girls’ team in a neighboring town. My internal response was ‘Challenge accepted.’ I availed myself of every training opportunity offered and the following season, I led the boys’ team in goals scored.
In high school, this same under-investment in female athletics resulted in the inability to field teams at each level of competition. Rather than accepting this state of affairs, I chose to ‘be the change.’ Throughout my high school career, I worked as a counselor in an annual Girls in Sports Camp. Additionally, I volunteered to work as a trainer for my community’s youth soccer teams, sharing my passion for the sport and trying to serve as a role model for young girls.”
We wish Madeline the best at Northeastern University this fall.
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 10 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 Children With Special Needs. 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/