By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 12, 2019-A wonderful story about the Beautiful Game occurred at the Owl Hollow Soccer Complex on Staten Island on Tuesday night, May 28 when Miss City of Dreams, 22-year-old Madison L’Insalata, raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), the national platform of the Miss America contest. Madison was also the 2018 Miss Richmond County.
In lieu of a pageant entrance fee, Miss America candidates are required to raise $250 for CMN, which helps fill funding gaps at children’s hospitals since Medicaid and insurance programs do not fully cover the cost of care. The former Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) player went above and beyond with the help of the league.
Madison held a fundraiser through her Soccer for CMN Tournament for the second consecutive year. With over 40 teenage and adult players from across the island in attendance, each paying $10 to participate in the small-sided co-ed tournament, plenty of fun was had by all for a great cause. In the photo below, Madison is sitting in the front row wearing the gray shirt.
In addition to SIYSL volunteering to set up as well as providing the field permit for the tournament, they generously matched the money raised at the event and helped Madison raise $1,675. Thanks to their kindness, Madison took home the Miracle Maker Award at the Miss New York Competition this year, an award given to the candidate who raises the most funds for the charity. She intends on holding the tournament again next spring in partnership with SIYSL and is hoping to expand the tourney to all age ranges.
During her youth soccer career, Madison won the 2013 Girls-Under-16 Arch Cup in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) with the Staten Island United Chaos when they outlasted the Oceanside Wave Runnerz, 4-2, in overtime. Her Chaos teammates and coaches played in the fundraiser. In the photo below from six years ago, Madison is kneeling third from the left and her father, assistant coach Richard L’Insalata, is standing on the far right.
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.