Photos courtesy of the Staten Island Youth Soccer League and SI Live
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 26, 2018-The Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL), the southernmost league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), teamed up with NYC Parks to host its third annual youth sand soccer tournament on the weekend of July 21 and 22 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, a short kick from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. 60 teams––22 girls squads and 38 boys teams across 12 divisions––participated with the girls playing on July 21 and the boys on July 22 in the Back to the Beach Soccer Classic.
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.
“As US Soccer continues to stress youth development through small-sided play, the 4 v 4 format provided a perfect vehicle to follow through with this initiative,” explained SIYSL President Bill Smith. “It turned out to be a great event once again, and we want to thank NYC Parks and our league’s member clubs for making it so successful.“
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.