By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 10, 2021-Remember the name Laszlo Sandler as he has a bright future in the Beautiful Game. The 22-year-old from the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn has refereed the past two US Youth Soccer national championships.
“Having the chance to referee the Girls-Under-13 national championship match in 2019 was definitely a highlight and being able to ref Nationals again at the next event in 2021 was a highlight as well,” he stated.
Laszlo actually represented Illinois at Nationals since he attended the University of Chicago, where he recently graduated with a degree in Linguistics with a minor in Astrophysics. Given the international nature of the sport, knowledge of languages comes in handy for a ref more than an understanding of astrophysics, the branch of astronomy concerned with the physical properties of celestial bodies. Laszlo can speak English, Spanish and Marathi, a language mainly spoken in India, with knowledge of a little bit of Hungarian to boot.
Laszlo started refereeing at the age of 12 in March 2012. In the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), he referees in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) as well as reffing in USL 2, Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL) and MLS Next.
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 Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/