By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
May 24, 2022-Every child in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) deserves a safe field to play on and the great majority of our players have one. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Metrokids playing at Big Bush Park in Woodside.
The Metrokids Youth Soccer League was founded in 1998 and is currently made up of 1,000 youth soccer players from 24 clubs. A large number of Metrokids games are played from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturdays at Big Bush Park. New York City Parks & Recreation’s website describes the park as a “hub of recreation for Woodside families, and a delightful play space for kids. The park features a large synthetic turf ballfield for soccer and other sports.”
The turf field at Big Bush Park is not the state-of-the-art Field Turf and Sprinturf that has been the most popular forms of turf for the past two decades since it resembles natural grass. Big Bush’s surface is Astroturf.
When the many repairs needed to be made to the surface during the past few years, the field was patched up. Unfortunately, the surface is now very worn and the remaining turf has divots, a danger to the many players who run up and down on the field.
Metrokids manager Juan Alvarado wrote to Queensborough government which had Parks & Recreation look at the field. A parks representative wrote back that, “To date, I have heard no update on if repairs to the field will be conducted. The repairs needed are quite extensive and I believe would require capital funding. Over the last few years, Parks has done temporary repairs but they are not holding up any more.”
Without funding right now from the government, Metrokids has started a Go Fund Me page to raise $50,000 to help repair the field so everyone can safely play there:
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 nine 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. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/