By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
September 13, 2016-It’s not necessarily the really hot weather we experienced of late getting to you if you watch the First Touch Futbol Academy play and think you’re seeing double. That’s because, in what could be a first for the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), four pairs of twins make up the 91 players registered with the club.
The twins and their teammates wear yellow shirts, blue shorts and white socks, just like the Brazilian National Team, which gave the soccer world Jogo Bonito, or the Beautiful Game. Whatever language it’s in, the expression evokes images only of Brazil.
“The uniforms are meant to replicate Brazil's kits because they traditionally play the free-flowing, creative soccer we like to try and emulate,“ commented First Touch Director of Coaching Jeff Geller.
Geller goes one step further with the club by naming its teams after Brazilian greats so Boys-Under-12 teams are called Pelé and Kaka, a Boys-Under-10 team is named for Ronaldo and a Boys-Under-8 team uses the name Romario, all playing games at the Saratoga Intermediate School.
Meanwhile First Touch’s league, the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL), just kicked off Fall Ball 2016, which has seen an increase in registered teams every year. The fall league is also an opportunity for the CDYSL’s newest referees to get their feet wet as the youngest age groups, Under-10 to Under-12, play Fall Ball.
With over 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 11 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/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.