Photo of SUNY-Old Westbury women's coach Craig Newman on left
and NYMISOA Vice President Randy Vogt.
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
November 20, 2014-Founded in 1964, the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA) has been serving colleges and junior colleges in New York City, Long Island and Westchester for the past 50 years. At the NYMISOA Annual Awards Dinner at The Sterling in Bethpage on November 17, coaches and referees who are very active in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) were honored by their peers for their contributions to soccer. The awards are based on voting by NYMISOA’s members.
Craig Newman of SUNY-Old Westbury received the Bob Blitz Sportsmanship Award for women’s soccer programs. The award’s namesake was a beloved coach and enthusiastic advocate of women’s soccer who started the LIU Post women’s soccer program a generation ago and coached the Pioneers in the 1990’s before passing away from cancer. Shortly thereafter, in 2000, Craig emigrated to the United States from England. The Franklin Square resident has coached Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Girls Select Teams, taking the girls on two tours of England. Craig has also coached the LIJSL’s Hicksville Liberty Breeze and currently coaches the New Hyde Park Lady Lynx.
“I am so pleased that NYMISOA has recognized the positive game environment created by the SUNY College at Old Westbury women’s soccer team under the direction of head coach Craig Newman and assistant coach Betty Bohringer,” said Lenore Walsh, Old Westbury's director of athletics. “This is an award that speaks volumes and I am so proud of the program.”
Ken Heller of Freeport was selected as the Official of the Year in a landslide vote. He was also NYMISOA’s first-ever recipient of the New Official of the Year Award when that award was started in 1996.
Forest Hill’s Mike Godi received the Assistant Referee of the Year Award. He too was a New Official of the Year, in 2012.
Steve Wowk received the Dennis Botsaris Service Award. The East Rockaway resident currently serves as a Director of NYMISOA. The award’s namesake, Dennis Botsaris, was a beloved referee, assignor and member of NYMISOA’s Board of Directors before his untimely passing three years ago from pancreatic cancer.
Gustavo Aguilar of the Bronx, in his second year in the chapter, was honored with the New Official of the Year Award. We in Eastern New York are very happy that these four outstanding college referees continue to officiate our youth games.
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.