Fellow Hall of Famer Peter Strumpf on left with new inductee John Steigerwald
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
December 11, 2014-John Steigerwald is having a December to remember as he was inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame at the 2014 Holiday Party on December 7 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx. John grew up playing in a league that became a part of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and he has served the Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association (ENYSASA) for many years.
John was born in 1942, a half-block from the old Eintracht Oval in Astoria. As a rambunctious six-year-old boy, he started playing for Eintracht in what eventually became the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL). He played for Eintracht until 1960, when he enlisted in the Navy. While serving our country for four years on the USS Enterprise, he played for the ship in friendlies around the world.
Returning to New York, John played in the German-American Soccer League, now called the Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL). He played for Malta for two years, Brooklyn Celtic for two years, then Blue Star in the First Division until he retired in 1970.
John’s retirement did not last long as Eintracht called him in 1972 to become goalkeeper of their Men’s Over 30 team. Injuries forced him to permanently retire as a player in 1988 but he then coached that team from 1992 to 2009.
John became Vice President for Eintracht in 1975, running all social affairs until this year. He has volunteered as the CSL’s Arbiter and the CSL State Delegate in both positions since 1999 and still handles those responsibilities today. Additionally, he has served as an ENYSASA Trustee since 2001.
“John has spent his time in the service of soccer and his greatest contribution has been his reliability and steadfastness,” commented fellow Hall of Famer Peter Strumpf. “If you ever need to depend on somebody, John is the man!”
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 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 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.