By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
February 8, 2013-It is rare for a first-time event to earn such rave reviews but that’s what happened last April when the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) hosted the ODP College Showcase at Golden Goal Park. ODP, or more specifically the Olympic Development Program, is a national program designed to identify and develop the most skilled, committed youth soccer players in Eastern New York to represent their state, region, and country in soccer competitions. It provides quality instruction from nationally licensed coaches, developing players by training with and competing playing against the best players in one's age group, and showcasing them as student/athletes to collegiate soccer programs.
"As a parent of an athlete, I would like to mention the collaborated efforts and experience of the ENYYSA, ODP coaching staff and volunteers that made the ODP Showcase a huge success!" said Maureen Kerwin, whose daughter Shannon played for Eastern New York in the ODP College Showcase. "It was far better then I ever expected. Watching these young men and women represent their state and region was something they can always be proud of."
"The ODP College Showcase was a well-run event and there is a guaranteed high level of quality competition," commented Karen Harlow, Vice President for ODP Development for the Vermont Soccer Association. "It’s a great opportunity for our players to be seen by college coaches as well as to learn about the college recruiting process. Golden Goal provides a unique environment of staying onsite with your team and having good fields to play on. Our players enjoyed the entire experience and we look forward to coming back this season."
"The ODP College Showcase has quickly become an important event for ODP players and college coaches alike," responded Dean Foti, Technical Director of the New York State West Youth Soccer Association. "For ODP players, the event provides high-level competition and a valuable team-building experience in preparation for the ODP Tournament in early June. For college coaches, the event showcases the region's top players at a first-class soccer facility on adjacent fields. It’s a win-win situation and another way in which ODP connects kids to colleges."
ENYYSA has announced that we will return to Golden Goal Park for the 2nd Annual ODP College Showcase on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28. The beautiful facility is in Fort Ann, a short corner kick from Lake George, and is located at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. To keep costs down, the players and families will be staying in cabins at Golden Goal Park.
Top players born in 1996 and 1997 will be competing in front of college coaches from throughout the Northeast United States. This showcase will provide coaches, specifically collegiate and national staff, with a stage to evaluate and recruit future roster selections.
ENYYSA’s North and South ODP Teams, both boys and girls squads, will be competing against ODP teams from neighboring states. The games will be played on April 27 and 28. This is purely a showcase, not a tournament, with no standings to be kept.
ENYYSA has been running a very successful program for decades and former ODP players such as Crystal Dunn, Cari Roccaro and Nicholas Gaitan have all used ODP as a springboard to represent the United States recently in international competition.
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.