By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
October 18, 2012-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Louis Pepe has been selected as our Volunteer of the Year. Lou began playing soccer at the age of five and went on to play college soccer as well.
Lou began his affiliation with the East Islip Soccer Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) in 2004 when he started coaching his oldest son, Frank. He quickly immersed himself in the club, becoming a board member and is currently First Vice President.
Lou is known throughout East Islip for his “Just for Kicks” soccer program, founded by him in 2008. East Islip is one of 20 LIJSL clubs to provide a TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program. Currently, 55 Autistic kids ages 12 to 18 play for East Islip on a weekly basis during the spring and fall seasons. Two years ago, Lou started an affiliation with Stony Brook University, allowing students majoring in teaching children with special needs the opportunity
to work with soccer instructors to improve the experience for the East Islip Special Children. Lou is also very active in EJ Autism Foundation fundraisers.
Bea Huste-Petersen, who has two children with Autism that play for East Islip, commented, “Lou is the founder, the glue, the beginning, the middle and end! He greets every child individually as he or she arrives, provides an individual instructor and parents get to sit and watch.”
Lou is now being considered for Region 1 honors as well.
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 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.