By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
October 11, 2017-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Victoria Alonso has been selected as a TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year. Victoria will be honored at the ENYYSA Holiday Party on December 17 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.
TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a wonderful program for Children With Special Needs. It’s a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with challenges so they have the opportunity to play the great game of soccer just like other kids. Although the program is now national, its roots date back to 1978 in Eastern New York.
Victoria received three glowing letters of recommendation, the longest of which came from John Lauria, Co-Founder and Vice President for Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) TOPSoccer. John wrote:
“Victoria has been assisting as a coach for the Staten Island TOPSoccer for over seven years. She joined us when she was nine years old and initially helped with our younger players. However, for the last five years, she has been working with our teenage players and teams. In addition to coaching, she sometimes shadows some of our more challenging players, a task most will not volunteer for. In this capacity, she patiently encourages them and urges them to look beyond their disabilities. Victoria also recruited six of her classmates to join us as volunteers this past year, giving a much-needed boost to our program.”
“Victoria is well-liked, patient, always cheerful, and being a soccer player herself, a very competent instructor. In addition to being an outstanding role model and dedicated volunteer, she genuinely enjoys what she does.”
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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.