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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
October 28, 2014-Today’s press release is being brought to you by the word “east.” As in the Eastern Pike Soccer Club, located in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania by the shared border with New York and New Jersey. Eastern Pike’s travel teams play in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Meanwhile, the club’s intramural teams register under Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer.

The five travel teams are actually closer to many clubs in the EHYSL than clubs in Pennsylvania.

“We play in East Hudson as it’s more competitive than leagues in Pennsylvania and the teams are only 30 to 60 minutes away, as opposed to 90 minutes to three hours away for clubs in Pennsylvania,” said Eastern Pike President Shawn Bowles.

475 children are currently wearing the red and black of Eastern Pike and the club has grown dramatically since its founding in 1986. The kids come from Delaware Township, Dingman Township, Matamoras, Milford and Shohola, towns in the east of Pike County, hence the club name. Eastern Pike even has a Special Children’s Program.

“All the players, coaches and parents from Eastern Pike wanted to do was play competitive soccer and did not have any program within many miles to do so. They reached out to East Hudson and we were more then happy to welcome them in,” commented EHYSL President Jim Purdy. ”They have made a significant commitment from their President and Board members, their coaches and their players to our league.”

Purdy added, “Several players along with their parents drive the better part of two hours a week to play and train as members of the East Hudson Academy program while their coaches have made themselves available to our coaching programs. Teams travelling from and to Eastern Pike to play has now become just another travel game despite the distance. It has been a true pleasure having Eastern Pike as a part of our league!”

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.

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

November 16, 2021-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Richard Morel has scored our 2021 Goal of the Year.

The Huntington Station resident scored the goal in the 2021 Boys-Under-19 State Open Cup final contested for the Peter Collins Cup. Rich’s team, the Long Island Slammers, shut out the Massapequa Titans, 2-0, on June 5.

The goal can be seen here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CPv71WHJm29/

Rich is currently studying and playing soccer at Marist College.

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 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/

By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching Instruction, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

As I have noted a few times in recent articles, I spend an increasing amount of time colluding with US Soccer. I am lucky to be involved in a few projects that could really help the growth of the game. As part of this collaboration, I get to work with many great soccer coaches from all corners of the globe. We all agree (perhaps due to our innate love for the game) that soccer could indeed be America’s number one sport. In each meeting we are reminded of the mission statement of US Soccer: 

“OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE SOCCER THE PREEMINIENT SPORT IN THE UNITED STATES” 

I have no doubt in my mind that the beautiful game is growing and that the quality of play in the youth soccer games across this vast land are improving. I see endless positives that help me believe that the US Soccer mission to make soccer the preeminent sport in the country will indeed become a reality. 

That being said, I am a realist and know only too well the pitfalls and problems that the game needs to overcome. I was recently asked to crystalize these thoughts for a group of coaches I was teaching. At the end of the conversation, one of the young coaches in the audience asked I share my thoughts through the written word. So in no particular order below are the issues we need to face and fix for the beautiful game to become America’s number one sport. 

1. It must become the game for all and not just middle class America. We need to find a way to invite the hundreds of thousands of players from the streets of our cities and suburbs into the game. 

2. We must find a way to break the win at all costs, overly competitive nature of youth sports so that learning the game can again be fun. 

3. We must change the culture through continuous parent engagement and education so that coaches and clubs are allowed to fully develop their players knowing that key parent support is there in abundance. 

4. We need to find a way that our best players can be educated by our best youth coaches in a cost-effective way. Clubs and leagues must find a way to ensure that any kid who wants to play is given the opportunity to do so. No kid should be priced out of playing the world's game. 

5. We must continue and strive to improve coaching education until we have a coaching pathway that is the envy of all. 

6. We must find a way to change the school soccer system in two vital ways so that it ceases to hurt player development. 

a) The schedule of games and practices must start to follow best rules of periodization. 

b) No high school or middle school coach should be allowed to teach the game without some minimum license requirement. 

7. College seasons should also have to follow sensible periodization rules and the college game needs to be expanded to be year-round. College coaches need to be held to a higher standard of coaching education. 

8. All coaches involved in youth soccer across the country need to help the game become a spectator sport. We need to help our players fall in love with watching the game as well as playing it. This type of support should help improve and entrench the MLS and NWSL so that both leagues can continue to develop. 

9. The structure within the youth game must be fixed and then controlled. The aftermath of so many competitive youth organizations fighting for registration dollars is there for all to see. Our players play in too many games, are on too many teams and our best players are now scattered through too many competing leagues. We must find a way to enable our best players to train and compete against each other. 

10. At the highest level of the game, we must avoid it becoming a political beast. We need those people leading the game to always be prepared to hire outside of their comfort zone. Hire those who will respectfully challenge and fight when needed and listen and go along when it is only right to do so. The danger signs are already there with a seeming insistence that only female coaches be hired in leadership positions at the highest level in the girl’s game. A good coach is a good coach irrespective of creed, color or sex.

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

December 27, 2022-The growth of the membership and programs of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has created a continued need for more soccer referees so please consider making it your New Year’s resolution to become certified.

There are many wonderful things that happen when a person starts to ref including earning money, learning to manage people, learning more about the game, staying or becoming fit, expanding yourself by leaving your comfort zone as well as meeting the greatest people on soccer fields, including your new officiating colleagues. Becoming a youth soccer ref could be one of the best decisions you ever make!

Photo courtesy of the Long Island Soccer Referees Association.

Eastern New York is seeking new referees to be in the middle and/or on the line as assistant referees in youth soccer games throughout the state. The minimum age is 14 years old to become certified. 

Classes are starting throughout the state and they consist of an online learning process wrapped up by a field session. For more info about certification near you, please contact State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA) Cheryl Aronson at syra@enysreferee.org

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/

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

September 26, 2017-Nearly a decade ago, Robert Sibiga was confronted with the prospect of not being able to play soccer anymore at a high level after tearing both his ACL and knee meniscus.

“So I decided to try staying on the field at a different capacity and became a certified high school referee,” Robert explained. 

A good break for the Carmel resident came when senior referee administrator Enrico Romano spotted him officiating high school games in 2009, he realized Robert’s great potential and encouraged him to also ref under the US Soccer umbrella. And with Robert’s immense ability and work ethic, he quickly climbed up the officiating ladder which included starting out refereeing games in the local East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) and Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), then US Youth Soccer’s national championships in 2010 and 2011. Robert received the Jose Vargas Award as the top ref in Eastern New York four years ago.

“I have been working extremely hard and went to every possible tournament in the United States to gain experience,” Robert said. “It worked for me but the sacrifice was great, much bigger than people would imagine.”

Major League Soccer photo of Robert Sibiga refereeing NYCFC-Seattle Sounders at Yankee Stadium. Maybe Robert officiated Jack Harrison in foreground previously as the NYCFC midfielder played as a teen in Eastern New York.

He made it to the big show of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2014, becoming the third MLS referee to hail from the Polish youth club Stal Stalowa Wola, following in the footsteps of Janusz Weselak and Alex Prus. Robert has had many memorable moments on the soccer field and started listing them.

“First Development Academy Finals in 2011 in Milwaukee, first NCAA Final Four in 2013 in San Antonio, first MLS game as a 4th official in Dallas in 2014, first MLS middle in 2015 in Columbus and first MLS playoff match last year in Montreal,” Robert stated. “Each achievement brings special moments. I also love meeting players at the youth and college levels who then become professional stars. Meeting and becoming friends with guys like Matt Miazga when he was 15 at the DA Finals in Houston in 2012, who today is under contract with Chelsea. Being on the pitch with the likes of Villa, Pirlo, Kaka, Giovinco, Bradley and Altidore makes you feel proud of the privilege to ref in MLS.”

Robert is enjoying the current MLS season and has already eclipsed his tally of games from last year. After three ref assignments in 2015 and 19 last season, he is above 20 MLS games refereed in 2017 and was given a full-time referee contract on August 1 so he will put aside his real estate career for now.

“It is virtually impossible to find time for another job once you become a full-time official. Every day training, three-day camps twice a week, games every weekend and the travel associated with it,” Robert explained. “It is very much thanks to my supportive wife Magda and kids that I am able to follow my dreams of working in MLS as a full-time PRO official. Without the support at home, there is no way to make it and to maintain this extremely demanding and time-consuming profession. My family is the foundation my career is built on and my anchor to stay humble and appreciate every day.”

Although there are many demands on his time, Robert tries to help any way he can in mentoring young officials by arranging meetings, answering phone calls, texts, etc. Just as was done for him nearly a decade ago by Enrico Romano, who said, “"Robert is the best! When I think of him, I think of humility, integrity and a sense of responsibility plus he is very involved in the training of our referees. Eastern New York and the Hudson Valley Soccer Referees Association are very fortunate to have him.”

State Referee Administrator (SRA) Klaus Mueller, in charge of all refs in Eastern New York, echoed those comments, “Robert made it to PRO as a referee through hard work and never giving up. He has always been there to help any referee who asked for or needed assistance.”

“I am very proud to represent Eastern New York in everything I do,” Robert concluded. “I referee every game as if it’s my last one and I hope that we have more referees from New York officiating at the highest level.”

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.

By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

Occasionally in fulfilling my role as Director of Coaching for the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), I am lucky enough to get invited to some very interesting engagements. The night of September 7 in Manhattan was one such event. The US Soccer New York City Development Group hosted a fireside chat with US Soccer Men’s National Team Coach Gregg Berhalter. The event itself was a fundraiser to help gather funds for US Soccer’s coach in the community program. The fact that the whole event was designed to support coaching education was incentive enough for me to want to go and that fact that ENYYSA were kind enough to get me a ticket sealed the deal.

The evening itself obviously had some interesting footnotes. The 2022 World Cup is only 70 days away and, in my house along with many others, excitement is growing. The World Cup will be another great opportunity to grow the game. A golden opportunity for hundreds of thousands of teams to arrange viewing parties that can both help their players develop a better understanding of the game and provide an opportunity for more people to fall in love with the world's game. The US Soccer coach in the community program is a great program designed to offer a glimpse of coaching education into places that are yet to start formal clubs. 

Gregg Berhalter dealt with the questions surrounding the World Cup, the team expectations and potential along with selection conundrums well, with honesty and well-thought out reasoning as his foundation. The highlight of his comments, at least for me, was his promotion of Coaching Education. He talked eloquently about how coaches had impacted his coaching trajectory. He talked passionately about his US Soccer Pro License when many MLS coaches came together for the first pro license and the impact the course had. When 71 days before the World Cup, the men’s head coach takes time to highlight the importance of every coach making efforts to improve it is a good day for coaching education.

For years, I have been promoting the fact that we must make efforts to professionalize coaching. With this I mean that every kid deserves to have a coach who cares deeply about his craft and has appropriate licensing that shows they have bothered to at least learn something about the game and how to teach it. I absolutely believe that those that get paid to teach the game should be held to a higher professional standard than parent coaches. That they should constantly be trying to improve their craft and progress through appropriate coaching education programs. I believe US Soccer with its recent changes to the coaching education pathway have started the ball rolling. The days of coaching instructors (educators is the new term) being selected to teach because of  someone they knew or the fact they excelled on one course is no longer enough.

Now to become a course educator a coach must attend a formal 3-pronged training program:

• A base course designed to deal with many of the fundamental skills a coaching educator should know

• A content-specific course where they spend time learning about the specifics of the course they teach

• A course apprentice experience where they show they can meet the standards required to teach

The CED (Coaching Educator Developers) who lead these courses are required to attend constant professional development to continue their own journey in learning about teaching the game.  I consider all these evolutions essential in growing and improving the game. I still harbor a hope that someone will create a soccer coaches union, a group that will help provide coaches with much need benefits, health insurance being the obvious one BUT one that will also help secure some identity of professional standards for the hundreds of thousands of trainers making a living via the game. It is noteworthy that the USA  is the only major country yet to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and remains an outlier in that respect. Perhaps the more we all work to protect the sporting rights of our kids, the more we will consider the fact that all teach the game should also be growing in the game. 

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/

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

February 20, 2019-The Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame will honor its Class of 2019 in its 7th annual awards gala to be held this Saturday, February 23 at the Huntington Hilton on Route 110 in Melville, starting at 7:00 pm. This year's class is a mixture of men and women who have excelled at soccer on Long Island and beyond:

Tom Lips (from Hauppauge) – Currently the boys varsity soccer coach at Smithtown West High School, previously coached in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Olympic Development Program. Tom played in the Swiss First Division (FC St. Gallen), for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS) and for the Long Island Rough Riders, New York Fever and Boston Bulldogs during a nine-year professional career.

Carlos Mendes (Mineola) – Current New York Cosmos coach, who led the team to the 2018 National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) title. Carlos started his professional career with the Long Island Rough Riders in 2002 before playing with the Rochester Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and then advancing to Major League Soccer and playing with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, who became the New York Red Bulls. He played one year with the Columbus Crew before coming back home and becoming the very first player signed by the restarted New York Cosmos in 2013 where he won three North American Soccer League (NASL) titles in five years. 

Mark Semioli (Hauppauge) – Currently a scout for Major League Soccer (MLS). Played for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and LA Galaxy in MLS. Also played for the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, Palo Alto Firebirds, Silicon Valley Firebirds, San Francisco Greek-Americans and Monterey Bay Jaguars during a pro career from 1989 to 2001. Mark played with Tom Lips on the same team at Hauppauge High School.

Jennifer Tietjen Prozzo (Huntington) – Currently an assistant women's soccer coach at Central Connecticut State College. Played professionally in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) for the Philadelphia Charge from 2001 to 2003. Starred with her twin sister Margaret on the Long Island Lady Rough Riders from 1997 to 2000.

Margaret Tietjen Rodriguez (Huntington) – Currently the head women's soccer coach at the University of Connecticut. She started as the Huskies’ head coach last season and her first win was on August 23 over her sister Jennifer’s Central Connecticut team. Like her sister, she also played during all the three years of WUSA’s existence, for the San Diego Spirit and New York Power, and before that for the Long Island Lady Rough Riders.

“I created the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame to honor our past. Too many parents and kids on Long Island currently playing soccer have no idea of the amazingly rich history we have here on Long Island! The Class of 2019 is just the most recent example of the extraordinary players that we have produced on Long Island that we should all be incredibly proud of,“ said Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame founder Kevin L. McCrudden.

Anthony Maresco, President of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) with clubs in 103 communities across the island, stated, “The LIJSL congratulates all of the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame (LIPHOF) inductees. We are honored to be a part of the LIPHOF as it allows us to reconnect with the inductees who began their soccer careers in the LIJSL.“

“Each of these inductees have earned the right to become Hall of Famers on and off the field,“ McCrudden added. “They each have unique stories that are told each year at the induction gala and inevitably, the connections within the room literally connect dozens of people with shared soccer histories that we didn't know before. Connecting Long Island's soccer past with its future is more than I could have ever imagined and it happens almost every year right before our eyes. It's always such a magical evening.“

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.

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

June 11, 2015-Farmingdale United of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) were six-time defending State Open Cup champs and had won the title an amazing seven times. But that did not matter on May 31 in LaGrange as another LIJSL team, the Sound Beach Stingrays, defeated them, 2-1, in the Girls-Under-18 final for supremacy in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).

“Farmingdale has been a tremendous team for a long time and our goal was to be as good as them,” commented Sound Beach coach Noah Stiles. “We scored a goal 10 minutes in and it answered the question if we could really beat them. Our championship was a result of determination and heart.”

Sabrina Barton scored that goal, then Farmingdale’s Katie O’Connor knotted the score at 1-1. Sound Beach’s Sabrina Kornfield scored the game-winner on a toe-poke. Sound Beach keeper Shey Hoffman was tremendous in goal by making 16 saves.

The new champs received a $2,000 check from Eastern New York to defray their costs during the National Championship Series. They will be playing in the Regionals from June 26 to 30 in Barboursville, West Virginia.

Farmingdale did not leave the Hudson Valley without a trophy as they received the Howard Rubenstein Sportsmanship Award for the Fair Play they demonstrated on the field. Now retired, Mr. Rubenstein was seemingly involved in every facet of New York soccer for decades and is a member of the Halls of Fame of Eastern New York, the US Amateur Soccer Association and the Long Island Junior Soccer League.

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.

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

April 9, 2019-The Olympic Development Program (ODP) is considered the highest level of competition in each state association. Every year, players must be re-evaluated by the ODP professional staff of coaches for a position on each age-specific team. The identification process ends each summer with the most elite players within the East Region competing for a position on the regional team. Players are then identified by US Soccer staff coaches for possible entry to the national team program. 

Partly proven by the recent national championships our ODP teams have won, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has a particularly strong Olympic Development Program, which is divided into North and South to serve our large geographic region. Crystal Dunn and Allie Long are Eastern New York ODP graduates who are playing on the US Women’s National Team yet even those players who do not make the regional or the national teams often use ODP as a springboard to college scholarships and even on to professional soccer.

The Eastern New York ODP South coaches, serving players in New York City and Long Island, are a particularly diverse group. All 25 coaches have coaching licenses and they were born in nine countries––United States, Barbados, Honduras, Ecuador, Uruguay, Italy, England, Croatia and Egypt. Eight are currently coaching college programs and seven previously coached college soccer.

This diverse staff of Eastern New York ODP South was put together by Director of Coaching Gary Book, Boys Director of Coaching John Fitzgerald and Girls Director of Coaching Shawn Tarquinio. Recently, Eastern New York ODP South hired Kim Wyant, the first-ever US Women’s National Team goalkeeper and current NYU men’s coach, as a Goalkeeper Coach.

“I was very happy to recommend Kim to the ODP staff as she adds to our already stellar group of coaches. I know Kim well as she played for me on the Long Island Lady Riders, and was a big reason why we were national champions,“ Fitzgerald explained, “And now as a coaching colleague, she brings years of playing experience, including on the US Women’s National Team as well as her time as a college coach, to the table. Our players will benefit greatly from what Kim has to offer.“

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 onto http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.