By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
December 4, 2013-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Rose Paskoff of the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Soccer Club and the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) has been selected as our TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year. The TOPSoccer Special Children’s program is for those children with mental and/or physical challenging conditions. Special Children playing soccer in an organized league actually started in the LIJSL in 1978.
Rose began volunteering as a TOPSoccer Buddy when Lynbrook/East Rockaway kicked off their TOPSoccer Program two years ago. She was nominated by Lynbrook/East Rockaway Soccer Club President Guy Punzi, who wrote that "she has been an extremely vital part of the program. She has a great understanding of the goals and with helping the participants get the most out of every practice."
Her volunteering has gone beyond that, though, as she phones the families to remind them about upcoming practices, marches with the players in the Lynbrook Memorial Day Parade plus assists in the Annual Spring Barbecue and Annual Fall Awards Dinner. Rose has also recruited other volunteers, including her younger brother. The Lynbrook resident is also very active as an intramural referee.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 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 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.