From left to right, ENYYSA President Richard Christiano, Ray Wolfe, SRA Enrico Romano, ENYSASA President Sal Rapaglia
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
December 15, 2014-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association congratulate Raymond Wolfe, who was inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame at our 2014 Holiday Party on December 7 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx. Ray becomes the second member of his family to be inducted as his wife Hilda received the same honor two years ago.
Ray is a soccer lifer who started playing for the Kolping Soccer Club and B/W Gottschee in the German-American Soccer League, now called the Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL). As a young father, Ray coached his two sons playing for B/W Gottschee in the CSL’s junior circuit, the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL).
Ray began a stellar career as a referee in 1985. He quickly moved up the ranks from pee-wees to Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) youth games to amateur, professional and international matches. Ray officiated the World University Games in Niagara Falls in 1993 and did so well that he was assigned both a semifinal and the final. Two years later, he served as an assistant referee for the United Soccer League’s nationally-televised championship game.
The Franklin Square resident also excelled as a high school and college ref and was honored as the 2000 Official of the Year in the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA).
Ray volunteered for many years as a Trustee for the New York Referee Association. In 2009, he received a promotion to State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA), a position that he still holds today, and has been tirelessly canvassing the Empire State to develop Eastern New York’s youth referees during the past six years.
“Ray has demonstrated a constant commitment and deep respect for the game and has been a tireless worker for our sport at all levels,” commented State Referee Administrator (SRA) Enrico Romano.
Congratulations to Hall of Famer Ray Wolfe.
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.