By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 2, 2019-The Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL), the southernmost league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), scheduled their 4th Annual Back to the Beach Soccer Classic on July 20 and 21 but the excessive heat and humidity prompted the authorities to warn about any outdoor exercise that weekend. So the league did the right thing the week of the event and rescheduled it for the following weekend, July 27 and 28, when the weather was much more conducive to playing soccer.
60 teams––42 boys squads and 18 girls teams across 10 divisions––participated at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, a short kick from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The tournament was a free event for all participating teams as the SIYSL and NYC Parks provided the necessary underwriting. The Back to the Beach Soccer Classic was played on 40 x 20 yard sand fields with the competition being 4 v 4 with no goalkeepers.
The champion teams
Boys Under 8 Rec: Man City
Boys Under 9-10 Travel: Inter Mex
Boys Under 9-10 Rec: Petrides White
Boys Under 11-12 Rec: OLGC Blue Knights
Boys Under 12 Travel: Silver Lake Summer Select
Boys Under 14 Rec: Man City
Boys High School: Curtis 1
Girls Under 9: Richmondtown Diamonds
Girls Under 10-11: Richmondtown Angels
Girls High School: Notre Dame Academy
“As I sat at this event and heard from bystanders what a great tournament it was, I watched players get red-faced from the hot sand yet nothing was going to stop our kids from having fun. Next year is tournament year number five and I want to see this grow where we have over 100 teams competing,” stated SIYSL President Bill Smith.
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.
Photos above courtesy of the Staten Island Advance and of the Staten Island Youth Soccer League