By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
January 19, 2017-Upon the retirement of Ray Wolfe, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) President Richard Christiano has tabbed John Sengelaub to become State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA).
“I am very pleased to name John Sengelaub to lead our youth soccer referees as SYRA, which Ray Wolfe did so well for the past decade,“ commented President Christiano.
The new SYRA became involved with soccer when his oldest daughter started playing at age five for the Levittown Soccer Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). John volunteered as a coach and also as Executive Vice President of the club.
He decided to learn the rules of the game he was coaching so he took a club referee course and started to ref a few intramural games for Levittown. That led to taking the US Soccer Referee course, refereeing many travel team games, becoming an instructor in 2002 and an assessor in 2008.
In 2009, the Wantagh resident was honored as the Long Island Soccer Referee Association (LISRA) Referee of the Year, an organization that he currently helps lead as Executive Vice President. From 2008 to 2016, John was the Director of Instruction for Eastern New York.
That’s all in addition to his “real job” as Customer Service/Logistics Manager of Transnational Logistics, Inc. in Deer Park.
“My goal as SYRA is to do as good a job as Ray did and I have very big shoes to fill,“ John stated.
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 onto http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.