Eastern NY Youth Soccer Association

SECOND TOP LOGO (THE ONE ON THE RIGHT)

enypr

State Cup Defending Champ Massapequa Fury Add the ENYPL Title to Their Growing Trophy Case

Massapequa_Fury_for_Web

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

May 15, 2018-The Massapequa Fury won the Girls-Under-14 State Open Cup championship last June and they have followed that up by taking the Girls-Under-15 Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) title this spring. They only conceded three goals en route to a 4-0-2 record in the ENYPL and have not given up a goal yet in the State Cup, where they have advanced to the semifinals.

“I am very proud of the squad and how hard they have worked to become very good defensively,” commented coach Paul Bigilin. ”Individually, they commit to 1v1 defending, and as a unit within our system of play, our team defending continues to get better.”

Massapequa, out of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), also recently won the Eastern Development Program (EDP) Fall Classic Top Division Championship and was runner up in the EDP Winter Classic.

The Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) is the oldest continuous Premier League in the United States and is playing in its 18th year in 2018. Under the direction of ENYPL Chairperson Andreas Touros, teams from eight member leagues from all over the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) formed the ENYPL for the 2018 Spring Season. The ENYPL uses the slogan of the Gateway to Regional Play and Massapequa will soon be playing in North Atlantic EDP.

“The girls are very happy to have received acceptance into the US Youth Soccer National League North Atlantic EDP Conference in the new program for high-level competitive leagues beginning in 2018-19,” added Coach Bigilin.

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.

 

Libby Cook Receives a Masotto/Driscoll Scholarship From Eastern New York

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
August 19, 2019-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Libby Cook is receiving a Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll Scholarship. The award is based on success in high school as well as community service. The scholarship’s namesakes were best friends and top women’s soccer players from Massapequa, Long Island and Eastern New York set up a scholarship in their name after they were killed by a drunk driver in 1985.
 
She wrote in her essay that “Soccer officially entered my life at age 4 when I played on a Fulton United recreational team. Here, friendships blossomed and continue to this day. Eventually, soccer became part of my everyday routine. My father became my soccer coach in 4th Grade and he has taught me more than anyone has in my life. We would spend hours together kicking a soccer ball with the correct foot stance, barefoot and recording moves and shots. Through these practices our bond grew. I thank soccer for this bond because without it my father and I would never be as close as we are today.”

Gloversville High School girls varsity coach Michael Hallenbeck, who also serves as the Fulton United Vice President, wrote “Libby usually takes on the challenge of helping with the Pre-K soccer group during camp which truly says something about her patience and kindness. She also has a great personality and is willing to go above and beyond for any task that is presented to her…One experience that comes to mind is when she was in 10th Grade and on the varsity team. We were struggling defensively that year, so I decided to move Libby to outside back from her midfield position. Instead of complaining about the change, she did the exact opposite. She was always asking questions and picking my brain in an effort to become the best possible defender she could be.”

Libby has been a National Honor Society student at Gloversville High School for the past three years, competed in Varsity Track & Field, Varisty Tennis, Varsity Cheerleading in addition to being the Varsity Soccer Team’s captain and was a First Team All-Star for the past two years in soccer. Plus she volunteers for local non-profit organizations and plays for Fulton United in the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL). She also received a CDYSL Scholarship.

We wish Libby all the best at Elmira College!

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 nine 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.

Empire State Alleycats Win the Girls-Under-12 Joanne Roth Cup

GU12_Alleycats_for_Web
The Girls-Under-12 State Open Cup champions with US Youth National Team player Claire Hutton, an Alleycats and US Youth National Team player, in the center of the back row
 
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
June 9, 2022-Empire State Alleycats Academy Red defeated Greenbush SC Girls 2020, 6-1, to win the Girls-Under-12 State Open Cup. This championship game was played on June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. The cup's namesake, Joanne Roth, was a beloved and smiling presence at the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) office until her untimely passing from ALS in 2019. 
 
Ella Mullin, a midfielder, scored a hat trick.
 
“We worked together and did not give up,” stated goalkeeper Kimley Logsdon who made 10 saves.
 
Midfielder Payton Galuski added, “We work together, even though our passes were not very good today but our dribbling was.”
 
Center back Riley Noto concluded, “We work hard as a team and kept playing until the very end of the game.”
 
The Alleycats will represent Eastern New York at the East Regionals from June 24 to 30 in Charleston and Barboursville, West Virginia as part of the National Championship Series. 
 
With approximately 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 nine 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/

Red Hook Heatwave Bring the Eastern New York Premier League Title Back to the Hudson Valley

Red_Hook_Heatwave_for_Web

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
June 29, 2016-The appropriately-named Red Hook Heatwave of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) blanked Manhattan Kickers FC 98 of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL), 3-0, in hot weather on Saturday, June 18, giving Red Hook the Girls-Under-18 Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) title. This Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) championship game was played at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview.
 
Claire Doyal scored an Olimpico goal straight off a corner kick at the end of the first half while Isabelle LaBarbera netted Red Hook’s two other goals. Keepers Kyla Burns and Natalie Hutchins shared the shutout in goal for the new champs.
 
“Although Manhattan had the better possession, I thought a difference in the game was our finishing,” explained Red Hook coach Paul LaBarbera. “This is our first year as a Premier team and we’re really excited to win the championship!”
 
The ENYPL, the Gateway to Regional Play, is the oldest continuous Premier League in the United States and is 16 years old in 2016.
 
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 teenagersbetween 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 turnedaway. 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.

Follow Your Bliss By Becoming a Youth Soccer Volunteer

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
April 11, 2023-You don’t hear as much anymore about soccer volunteers but a good deal of the work in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), our 10 member leagues and hundreds of soccer clubs throughout our state association is still done by youth soccer volunteers. All this volunteerism keeps the costs of youth soccer down for our youngsters and their families.
 
Becoming a youth soccer volunteer is a wonderful way to follow your passion and feel fulfilled. It could also lead to being paid for what you love to do one day in the future as this has happened to countless youth soccer volunteers. 
 
Two examples from my life include being willing to do more as an art director at Manhattan ad agencies as I thought that I could write as well as design. So I went to then Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) President Peter Collins in 1989 and asked if I could volunteer by writing articles about the LIJSL. I became the LIJSL’s Public Relations Director, volunteering for two decades and was paid my last year in 2010 to create an e-letter. I knew about using a PR template but did not want to limit myself by doing that so my press releases became my personal creative writing assignment to fulfill my creative juices, while always including the important info found in every press release. The amount of writing that I did increased dramatically as soccer continued to become more popular in the United States. After over two decades of volunteering for the LIJSL, I became ENYYSA’s Public Relations Director and am now paid for my writing.
 
Additionally back in 1978 as a teenager, me volunteering to coach an informal summer soccer league, so informal that each coach had to ref half the game. I quickly discovered that I was a much better referee than coach so my coaching career soon ended and I started getting paid for reffing intramural games that fall, $4 for a game if I was refereeing with a partner, $6 if I was reffing the game solo.
 
There are many opportunities to volunteer as our leagues and clubs need coaches, committee members, concession workers, writing, photography, etc. So follow your passion and inquire about becoming a youth soccer volunteer by contacting Eastern New York or the league near you:
 
Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association: 516-766-0849
Big Apple Youth Soccer League: 718-267-0828
Capital District Youth Soccer League: 518-435-2325 or 518-435-2326
Central New York State Soccer League: 315-534-2930
Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League: 718-491-4009
East Hudson Youth Soccer League: 845-765-2864
Long Island Junior Soccer League: 631-648-9020
Metrokids Youth Soccer League: 646-643-1871
Mid-State New York Soccer League: 607-432-7485
Staten Island Youth Soccer League: 718-524-6023. If busy or unavailable, call 917-596-2539.
Westchester Youth Soccer League: 914-235-5110 
 
All volunteers must pass a background check before they start.
 
With approximately 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 10 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. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Long Island Soccer Teams Play Friendlies Against England’s Rotherham College

 

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

July 10, 2018-The Massapequa Soccer Club is a longtime member of both the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). Every summer for the past decade, Massapequa has hosted Rotherham College from England and the club’s Director of Coaching, Richard Nuttall, made the original connection as he is a native of northern England. 

Friendlies_for_Web

All the participants. Massapequa is wearing maroon, Hota is wearing light blue and Rotherham is wearing red-and-white stripes. 

Besides playing against some excellent local competition, the annual trip gives the British boys the chance to tour New York City and Long Island.

Rotherham has played friendly games during the past decade against LIJSL Boys-Under-19 teams on the turf fields of John Burns Park and Field of Dreams in Massapequa. For a change, the friendlies were played on the plush grass at Park Stadium in Franklin Square this past Sunday, July 8.

An added treat before the barbeque last weekend was the first two games were officiated by Howard Webb, who refereed the 2010 World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands. Howard’s son, Jack Webb, is the Rotherham captain and he scored two goals as Rotherham defeated New York Hota, 3-1. In the second game, Hota topped Massapequa, 2-1, and Rotherham won the last game, shutting out Massapequa, 3-0.

Howard graciously posed for photos throughout the day with anybody who wanted to meet one of the very few select people who was part of a World Cup Final.

"I would not have missed meeting and officiating with Howard for anything!" exclaimed LIJSL ref Sean McPhillips.

Refs_for_Web

From left to right: Stephen Cope, Sean McPhillips, Howard Webb and Jason Silver.

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.

 

 

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

March 14, 2017-March is a great time to be Irish but it’s also a great time to be a youth soccer player in New York as the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) goes from indoor soccer to outdoor soccer. When Eastern New York’s leagues kick off their Spring Season depends on the weather and field availability. Traditionally, most of the Downstate leagues kick off the Spring Season around St. Patrick’s Day while the Upstate leagues start in April.

Particularly enjoying an Irish spring is the Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) club named St. Patrick’s, the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) club that plays at St. Patrick’s Church and two East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) indoor tournaments, the Shamrock Cup and Shamrock Shootout.

Joe and Ann Licata, SIYSL Hall of Famers, founded the St. Patrick’s Soccer Club on Staten Island in 1976. Before that, the only youth soccer club on the island was Silver Lake of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL).

Word quickly spread at St. Patrick’s and 100 boys showed up to play that first year. While Joe did the coaching and training, Ann did the paperwork and for the next 13 years, this dynamic duo helped grow the club from two teams to 27 with over 300 players. So popular had soccer become at St. Patrick’s that no games could be played at 10 am on Sundays anymore as people were going to games at Miller Field rather than attending Mass.

Ann, while actively involved with St. Patrick’s School, would recruit boys for the teams and organized the girls as cheerleaders, who would root for the teams at Miller Field. Soon the cry was, “Mrs. L, we want to play too!” and by 1982, Ann was coaching the first girls team on Staten Island, the St. Patrick’s Wildcats. In 1983, the Wildcats were competing against boys teams in the SIYSL and other girls teams followed so the SIYSL Girls Division was born.

The St. Patrick’s Soccer Club became the Richmondtown Soccer Club a quarter-century ago while the St. Patrick’s Soccer Club that now plays in the SIYSL is affiliated with the school by the same name. Under the direction of Brian Jennings, the club now has 235 players––131 boys and 104 girls––and plays its games at Miller Field and the Owl Hollow Soccer Complex.

70 miles to the east in Suffolk County, Long Island, there’s another club with a strong connection to St. Patrick’s Day. The Village of the Branch (VOB) Soccer Club plays under that name in the LIJSL and its intramural program is known as VOB/St. Patrick's. The fields at St. Patrick's Church have been used since the club's inception in 1978 and they are now utilized for both intramural games and small-sided LIJSL matches. The club is completing its registration now but approximately 500 players––300 boys and 200 girls––proudly wear the green-and-white uniforms.

But these two clubs are not the only teams with an Irish influence as Eastern New York squads have the nicknames of, in order of popularity, Shamrocks, Celtics, Leprechauns and Clovers.

Then there’s the 4th Annual Shamrock Cup, organized by the EHYSL’s Washingtonville Soccer Club, and being played at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome on Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19.

“We normally get around 100 teams, both boys and girls squads, which is good for this time of year as some outdoor leagues start up along with State Cup competition on that weekend,“ explained tournament director Eddie Moloney. “We named it the Shamrock Cup as it’s around St. Paddy’s Day and he’s my patron saint of Ireland. Once a team goes away happy from the tournament, win or lose, then our club is also happy and we will see them next year. And of course, we play Irish music in-between the breaks to get them in the mood to be Irish that day.“

Shamrock_Shootout_girls_for_Web

Some of the girls who played in the Shamrock Shootout

Last but certainly not least, there's the 3rd Annual Shamrock Shootout, organized by Eastern New York's March Personality of the Month Kieran McIlvenny and his wife Donna. 23 boys teams and 26 girls teams participated, on March 3 and 4 at The Net at Gold's Gym in LaGrange, and no scores were kept plus the refs volunteered their services. The kids played to help African children in need through the McIlvenny's charity Kickin' Back and $18,000 was raised. Kalekeni Banda, founder of the Banda Bola Sports Foundation, was on hand to share his mission about his native country of Malawi, one of the poorest nations in the world.

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 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.

Coach_Banda_for_Web

Coach Banda explaining the situation in Malawi to local players and parents

John Sengelaub Named State Youth Referee Administrator in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

John_Sengelaub_for_Web

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 19, 2017-Upon the retirement of Ray Wolfe, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) President Richard Christiano has tabbed John Sengelaub to become State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA).

“I am very pleased to name John Sengelaub to lead our youth soccer referees as SYRA, which Ray Wolfe did so well for the past decade,“ commented President Christiano.

The new SYRA became involved with soccer when his oldest daughter started playing at age five for the Levittown Soccer Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). John volunteered as a coach and also as Executive Vice President of the club.

He decided to learn the rules of the game he was coaching so he took a club referee course and started to ref a few intramural games for Levittown. That led to taking the US Soccer Referee course, refereeing many travel team games, becoming an instructor in 2002 and an assessor in 2008.

In 2009, the Wantagh resident was honored as the Long Island Soccer Referee Association (LISRA) Referee of the Year, an organization that he currently helps lead as Executive Vice President. From 2008 to 2016, John was the Director of Instruction for Eastern New York.

That’s all in addition to his “real job” as Customer Service/Logistics Manager of Transnational Logistics, Inc. in Deer Park.

“My goal as SYRA is to do as good a job as Ray did and I have very big shoes to fill,“ John stated.

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.

Clarification Regarding Coaching Licenses

With so many coaching courses, diploma’s and licenses available it is necessary to clarify a few issues regarding coaching education.  All should note the following:
 
  1. Only the US Soccer (USSF) can issue coaching licenses.  Courses that are recognized nationally and internationally as a true license. This licensing procedure is through the E, D and C license offered exclusively by ENYYSA.
  2. NSCAA is the largest private coaching organization in the word and they offer coaching diploma’s.
  3. A number of League’s within ENYYSA have designed and coach their own courses. These courses can not be considered as licenses and should not be titled as such.
  4. Due to the titles of the USSF licenses , A,B,C,D and E some confusion exits when certain Leagues call their coaching courses by similar titles.
  5. The only official waiver onto a higher level course is with a professional playing license. (The number and validity of which is certified by the USSF).
  6. Coaches with college playing experience do NOT receive waivers onto higher courses.
  7. US Youth Soccer through the USSF offer and instruct the National Youth License. This is correctly titled as a licensing course.
  8. Currently none of the Leagues that constitute ENYYSA have any licensing requirements.
  9. Only the USSF A license and the NSCAA Master coach diploma need ongoing work and study to be kept current.  Without these ceu’s both expire.
  10. Any coach, parent, Club President or League President with questions on further clarification should email Tim Bradbury at directorofcoachinginstruction@enysoccer.com.
 
 
Yours In Soccer,
Tim Bradbury
Director of Coaching Instruction
 

Faith D’Angelis of Holtsville Receives the Jack Bauman Scholarship

Faith_DAngelis_for_Web

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

August 16, 2017-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) congratulates Faith D’Angelis, who is receiving a Jack Bauman Scholarship, which is based on academic and athletic success as well as community service. The scholarship’s namesake, Jack Bauman, is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. He was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club, Eastern New York and making sure that girls had as many opportunities to play soccer as boys did in an era when girls playing sports was not as accepted as it is today.

The Holtsville resident started playing soccer at age six and competed in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). She has also been an assistant referee for LIJSL games with the Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA). Academically, she was on the Principal’s Honor Roll at Sachem High School East.

In her essay, she wrote that “I always had a constant battle with anxiety and it is something that has hindered me from playing to my full potential. I get anxiety attacks when I am in an uncomfortable or unknown situation. Switching teams was one of the very hard battles I have faced with myself. Talking to new people and not knowing anyone brought me nerves over my confidence and for a while, I couldn’t focus on what I was doing. I couldn’t play the way that I knew how to play. I battled with myself for a long time to try and break out of this shell that I put myself in. I wouldn’t even want to go to practice because I felt like I could never play the way I knew how and I hated that feeling. But I pushed on with my battle and after a long, hard year, I defeated the anxiety. This experience has not only helped me in soccer but in the real world as I am now more outgoing and I can talk to strangers in a calm and collected manner.”

We wish Faith the best as he starts studying and playing soccer at Caldwell University this fall.

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.