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Red Hook Heatwave Win the Double by Taking the Girls-Under-18 State Open Cup Championship

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

June 21, 2017-Two weeks after winning the Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) championship, the Red Hook Heatwave topped the LaGrange Chargers, 2-1, to win the Girls-Under-18 State Open Cup. The game between two East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) teams was played on Sunday, June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.

The Player of the Match was Red Hook goalkeeper Kyla Burns. Lauren Engel scored a Red Hook goal and Isabelle LaBarbera added the other off an assist by Alexa Franceschi.

“We are very excited to win the double!” commented Red Hook coach Paul LaBarbera. “The LaGrange team is awesome. They tested our keeper, Kyla Burns, and she is very aggressive. The girls left it all on the field as it was our solid defense that led us to the win, even though we had no subs because of a prom last night.”

A more rested Red Hook team will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the Regionals from June 30 to July 4 in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

Red Hook also received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. The namesake of the award, who died last year, was inducted into the Halls of Fame of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) and Eastern New York plus was honored as a Life Member by U.S. Soccer. Amoroso started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980, it has since been copied around the world and he spoke about the benefits of Fair Play across the United States.

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.

A Girls-Under-10 Game and the Keeper’s Shoes Are All Tied Up in Westchester

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
April 17, 2013-On Sunday, April 14, our roving photographer watched a Girls-Under-10 game in the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL).
 
The Edgemont Fire’s goalkeeper, Hannah Guttenberg, could not tie her unlaced cleat since she was wearing goalie gloves so an opposing forward on the Scarsdale Independence, Margarida Ferraira, tied her shoe.
 
"This is a very nice example of sportsmanship," Edgemont coach Jonathan Faust said. "We had nice kids playing a nice game which ended in a 2-2 tie."
 
"Seeing something spontaneous like this in a 10-year-old really puts competition in perspective," commented WYSL President Julian DiDonato. "You should be playing hard but that doesn’t mean you treat your opponent as the enemy. They are obviously not as they are just like you, only on the other side of the ball."
 
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. Eastern New York 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. Eastern New York 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 Zef Kabashi Honored as the Personality of the Month for December

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
December 2, 2015-Although Zef Kabashi might be the Project Manager for a Manhattan construction company, Metropolitan Building Services, he is known in the ever-growing soccer community for constructing top soccer teams and coaching them to championships while emphasizing player development and sportsmanship. Zef has coached the Queensborough Community College men to the past three City University of New York (CUNY) community college titles and four championships out of the last five years so he is being honored by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) as our Personality of the Month for December.

“The state of our community college soccer has improved drastically over the past decade to a point where we have at least Queensborough and Borough of Manhattan Community College competing for the Regional title each and every year with the likes of recent national champs Nassau and Suffolk,” commented CUNY Athletic Conference Executive Director Zak Ivkovic. “That is a credit to the hard work of our coaches, especially Zef Kabashi at Queensborough. His teams are quality each and every year and he is the type of coach whose hard work and care are evident in his teams, both in the quality of soccer and the teams' cohesion and attitude. Looking forward to him and Queensborough taking the next step, now that he has the CUNY trifecta, and going on to win the national championship soon.”

“It’s great to win the past three CUNY titles as well as four out of the last five! Knowing that all the time and effort I put into working with the players to achieve these results and making it happen is rewarding. I’ve won the CUNY title each time with a different team as there are only a handful of players to have won it twice during my tenure,” Coach Kabashi explained. “It’s motivating to know that I’m developing as a coach and my efforts are paying off with such great results. Winning the CUNY championships has made the experience that much more validating.”

Mr. December was born in and grew up in Queens in the towns of Sunnyside, Flushing and Woodhaven before his family moved to Hicksville, Long Island when he was a teenager. His father Kolj took him to all the Cosmos games at Giants Stadium before the original Cosmos team folded in 1984. He was at Pelé’s retirement game on October 1, 1977 but he vaguely remembers it as he was 17 months old. Zef grew up playing in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) for New York Croatia and New York Hota. He also played center midfielder for the New York Hota senior team that competed in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL) and Northeast Super Soccer League, the highest level of soccer in the area after the original North American Soccer League folded several months after the Cosmos did.

Zef played one year for Nassau Community College where he was named to the National Junior College All-Star Team and completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Molloy College. When he was studying abroad in Belgium, he trained for a team in the national league’s Fourth Division, Stade Leuven (named after their stadium), but returned home to New York to complete his studies before signing the contract being offered to him.

Back in New York, Kaz Gungor asked him to start coaching youth soccer. Zef has since coached Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) teams, both boys and girls, from such diverse clubs as Auburndale, Carle Place, Farmingdale, Garden City and the Huntington Boys Club for nearly two decades. He now holds US Soccer’s prestigious “A” License and will attempt a UEFA License in the future.

“The teams I coached all started out in the Third or Second Division of the LIJSL and I guided them up into the First Division,” Coach Kabashi stated. “Now I’m currently the Director of Coaching for the PDB Soccer Academy, where I coach the Under-15 boys and assist the Under-16 boys as well as run a clinic for boys and girls, ages 3-9, on Saturday mornings. PDB is representing the CJSL in the Region 1 Champions League.”

The current Carle Place resident also served as an Eastern New York Olympic Development Program (ODP) coach for three years and led the Boys-Under-16 South team to the Regional semifinals. After his son Lucas Paul was born three years ago, he resigned from ODP to spend more time with his family.

“I enjoyed ODP. It was something I always wanted to do and I was lucky enough to have had the chance,” the 39-year-old said.

The proud Kosovar-American also coaches Team Kosovo in the summer Cosmos Copa tournament. The team is made up of players like Zef who were either born in or whose families come from Kosovo in the Balkans.

“It is very important for players and coaches to take risks and try new ideas. Motivating players and guiding them to achieve goals is something I work on diligently by developing relationships with my players and leading by example,” Coach Kabashi stated. “Each player is unique in his or her own right. Building a rapport with them allows me to learn who they are as individuals, thereby guiding me to help them grow as students of the game.”

All while emphasizing sportsmanship as Zef is the only coach ever to receive the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA) Sportsmanship Award while coaching two different programs, the Hostos Community College men in 2007 and the Queensborough Community College men in 2011. Congratulations to coach Zef Kabashi, Eastern New York’s Personality of the Month for December.

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.

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The 2015 CUNY community college champions. Photos courtesy of Queensborough Community College.

Local Youth Soccer Players Graduate to the Long Island Soccer Football League

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New York West Indies in orange and New York Olympiacos in red-and-white

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

May 19, 2015-When the United States Soccer Federation and Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association were both founded in 1913, the majority of people playing soccer were men, many of whom had been born in foreign countries. So when the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL) kicked off play in 1948, it used both the American word “soccer” and the global name “football” in its name to describe the world’s most popular sport. LISFL’s start 67 years ago coincided with the end of World War II and many Americans moving to new developments in the suburbs, including most famously Levittown, Long Island.

By that time, kids were playing soccer in small but ever increasing numbers. The oldest youth soccer league in the United States, the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL), was founded in 1933 and has youth teams in all five boroughs of New York City to this day. Longtime LISFL volunteers Joe Goldberg and Ian McDougall co-founded the Oceanside United Soccer Club in 1962 and it was the first youth soccer club in Nassau County. Other volunteers from the LISFL helped organize the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), which kicked off play four years later in 1966, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) was then founded in 1972 and the great youth soccer boom was on.

According to LISFL President Gus Xikis, his league has greatly benefited from the youth soccer explosion as approximately 60% of the men who are currently registered in the league grew up playing in the LIJSL, CJSL and the other youth leagues that make up Eastern New York. So the LISFL hosts a booth every March at the LIJSL Convention to encourage youth soccer players to graduate to the LISFL after they have aged out for youth soccer. The league also has a formidable presence on the web as www.lisfl.org gets close to a million hits per month along with the LISFL being popular on Facebook, Twitter and Flicker.

83 teams divided into men’s open divisions, Over-30, Over-40 and Over-50 divisions currently make up the LISFL, with teams coming from Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn. One of the biggest rivalries in local sports has AC Glen Cove and Forest Park, both in LISFL Division 1, playing a derby for supremacy in the City of Glen Cove as they have been doing since the 1960’s. AC Glen Cove is the LISFL club that has won the most trophies, nearly 100, followed by New York Irish Rovers and Lindenhurst, the oldest club in the league.

In the four years that Xikis has been President, the LISFL has grown by 30% and he was a driving force behind creating the LISFL Hall of Fame.

“We should have over 70 members inducted by our 70th anniversary in 2018,” he stated.

In another example how youth soccer plants the seeds for adult soccer, all four of the 2015 inductees––Tony Crescitelli, Mario Gentile, Bob Montgomery and Dominick Pedone––have longtime ties to both the LISFL and local youth soccer. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place at the Plattduetsche Restaurant in Franklin Square on Thursday night, June 18, when the LISFL’s Annual General Meeting will also be held.

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.

Protecting Young Athletes

By Ken Gulmi, Eastern New York Hall of FamerGulmi2_for_Web
 
This article appeared recently in community newsppaers throughout Westchester and Putnam counties
 
September 14, 2022-Through the 1980’s, children mostly played sports for their own community-based teams and “professional” for-pay trainers were usually only found working in unaffiliated camps. Since then, however, the landscape has evolved and not always in the best interests of its youth athletes.
 
Currently, virtually every youth sport features paid coaches and/or trainers, usually charging substantial fees. Certainly, in some cases, these “professional” sports educators are well-qualified and have worked diligently to acquire the skills and credentials (licenses) necessary to give youngsters a solid foundation in which to optimize their athletic abilities.
 
Unfortunately, there are also many others who present themselves as having the expertise and education to serve as qualified to instruct youngsters without the credentials that entitle them to make that claim. How then can parents insure that they are actually spending large sums on their child's behalf and choosing the best person for his or her development?
 
Before committing their child to an “elite” team, or program and instructional staff, parents can insure they are doing everything to insure they are making the best possible choice as to whom to entrust with their son or daughter. Here are several steps that will assist them in accomplishing that goal:
 
1. Be realistic about both your child's desire and ability to make a strong commitment to develop in their sport. It's about what the player wants, not about what the parent wants for them. Be sure they understand and are enthusiastic about the amount of work for which they are signing up.
 
2. Has the instructor provided you with his/her resume of experiences. If so, check the references. If not, why not? This cannot be optional.
 
3. What license does he/she possess? If the sport offers ascending levels of licensing (for example, soccer), is it sufficient for your child's level? A license demonstrates their willingness to develop themselves as educators.
 
4. Has the instructor passed a background check? This is mandatory in many sports to weed out those with criminal backgrounds, alcohol/drug backgrounds and child predators. Never accept anyone who hasn't. 
 
5. Has the instructor been certified CPR training and Concussion protocol? This too should not be optional.
 
Legitimate professionals will have no problem meeting these demands from a parent. Self-proclaimed experts with no real qualifications will dismiss their importance or offer excuses for why they cannot.
 
In short, do not be lured by anyone just because they are offering to make your child the next superstar in their sport. The real qualified instructors usually won't while the posers are really just eyeballing the balance in your bank account.
 
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/

New York Premier FC Receive the Jose Vargas Cup as Boys-Under-17 State Open Cup Champions

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
June 17, 2023-In a rematch of last year’s championship game, New York Premier FC won this time, defeating the Massapequa Boltz, 2-1, in overtime on June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange to win the Jose Vargas Cup. Jose was a man of many hats (and many hats that had many feathers) who served as State Referee Administrator, State Youth Referee Administrator and State Director of Assessment as well as President of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) and East Fishkill Soccer Club. 
 
Lorenzo Galeano and Marco Goni scored New York Premier’s goals.
 
“We have not lost since last year’s final,” explained New York Premier coach Simon Baines. “It was a good game today. We get along well with Massapequa, a good group of people.”
 
Massapequa received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died seven years ago, started the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland, and in the process, made soccer games kinder and gentler.
 
New York Premier will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at Nationals from July 17 to 23 in Orlando as part of the National Championship Series. 
 
The State Cup was presented by LifeVac, the choking rescue device that has saved over 900 lives and counting.
 
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 Association. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/

Eastern New York Continues Its Video Series––Week 8––Red Bulls Coach John Wolyniec Gives Advice to Soccer Parents

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
June 24, 2016-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) continues its unprecedented video series in educating Soccer Moms and Dads with an interview with local soccer product John Wolyniec, the longtime pro who is now coach of New York Red Bulls II.

“I must have said it a thousand times to reporters, I was just there to get better everyday,“ John explained. “Whether it was a practice, game, whatever, my goal was to fight as hard as I could to get better and as long as I’m getting better, I’m going to get more playing time and more opportunities.“

His advice to parents is “your child is the one who will determine how far he or she goes. It’s more about how much the child wants it rather than how much the parent wants it. As much as you can and as hard as it might be to take a step back and let them be as independent as possible because I know from my experience, my parents drove all over the place and were so supportive but I didn’t really blossom until they took a step back and let me be myself and going away to college (Fordham University) was a reason for that. They certainly prepared me and gave me all those great lessons about loyalty, dedication and commitment but at the end of the day, it was my own choice and my own passion that drove me forward and made the difference.“

The video is linked here:

https://youtu.be/nLHnj-RgPL0

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John grew up playing in Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) as well as for St. Claire’s (now the Great Kills Soccer Club) of the Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL), Silver Lake in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) and the Northport/Cow Harbor Celtics of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). The Staten Islander was a professional player for a dozen years, competing for the Long Island Rough Riders, Rochester Raging Rhinos and Milwaukee Rampage and in Major League Soccer (MLS) for the Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars and the team that succeeded them, the Red Bulls. Although he scored the Red Bulls’ only goal in the 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew in the 2008 MLS Cup Final, he is best remembered for scoring one of the best goals in MLS history, a 6-yard volley for the MetroStars after a 55-yard free kick in a 2003 game, also against the Crew. John had two caps for the US Men’s National Team.

Eastern New York is providing this video series, as a service to its 11 member leagues throughout New York State and its over 100,000 players, in response to the increased pressure on parents and players regarding college scholarships.

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.

Beacon is the Eastern New York Club of the Month for October

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

October 13, 2021-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that the Beacon Soccer Club is being honored as our Club of the Month for October. Ironically, the club colors of blue and yellow are the same colors of Eastern New York but the club logo featuring Mount Beacon is in green, noting that yellow and blue form that color.

According to the 2020 census, Beacon is the 60th largest city in the Empire State with a population of 14,370. 458 players—273 boys and 185 girls––are registered in the Beacon Soccer Club, many of them marching down Main Street in the Spirit of Beacon Parade held every September.
 
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The club was founded in 1978 by Patrick Kerr as well as Robert and Christine Galloway two years after the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) kicked off play (under its original name of West-Put Youth Soccer League) with four member clubs. So Beacon is one of the oldest clubs in the league. Keeping the philosophy of the club’s founders over four decades later, all Beacon coaches are volunteers and many of them inspire their players at Kerr Field.
 
The club’s three founders, as well as Club President Rheyan Cader and former Club President Jim Eve, are EHYSL Hall of Famers, a sign of how well the club is respected in their league.
 
The Galloways’ daughter, Jacqueline Arroyo, is a Beacon Soccer Club lifer, as a player and now coach and Director of the Mini-Division, the division for the club’s youngest players, 4- and 5-year-olds.
 
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From left to right: Coach and Director of Mini-Kids Jacqueline Arroyo, club founder Pat Kerr, current player Brayden Arroyo, coach Robert Arroyo (Jacqueline’s son) and Robert Galloway
 
Jacqueline stated, “Rheyan has done an amazing job of continuing the club founders’ vision for youth soccer. He is a great coach and mentor for our youth.”
 
Rheyan, Club President for the past 16 years, stated, “What makes the Beacon Soccer Club unique is our intergenerational participation. On any given weekend, you can see our club’s founders sitting side-by-side with club newcomers. Parents who grew up playing in the club are now coaches or Board members. Our club is synonymous with the local community and we have examples of grandparents, their children and grandchildren playing in the club. The Beacon Soccer Club is definitely a special community where all are welcome and all are considered family!”
 
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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. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

East Hudson Scouts Ensuring Soccer is Enjoyable For Everyone

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

September 20, 2017-Founded in 1976, the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) is second largest league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), covering a vast area of the entire Hudson Valley, Westchester and even into northeast Pennsylvania. In 2014, league volunteers Jim Purdy, Jim Eleftherion, Enrico Romano and Cathy Romano were concerned that something needed to be done in addition to the referee mentor program of the Hudson Valley Soccer Referees Association (HVSRA) to help league games run smoothly. So what did the EHYSL do?

They sent out the Scouts!

Every weekend during the Spring and Fall Seasons, Scouts are assigned to visit selected venues and observe plus “be a presence” at all the games at that site. Approximately 120 games are scouted each season.

The Scouts, dressed in polo shirts bearing the EHYSL logo, are senior league volunteers and senior refs active in local youth soccer, and obviously knowledgeable about its mission and procedures. The Scouts also bring a fresh, objective view of the venue and the operations there, from coach organization to touchline behavior to referee performance.

“We still have the occasional game that does not go as well as we would hope but when we learn of those involved, we make sure to visit those teams in the near future,” commented EHYSL President Jim Purdy. “I recently observed a spectator yelling at a new, young ref and was able to put a quick stop to it. Our membership is very appreciative that the league took the initiative to work toward making this great game of soccer a truly fun and enjoyable experience for all, week in and week out.”

In their mandatory weekly reports that are sent to the referee assignor and club president, the Scouts give the EHYSL an excellent sampling about what is occurring at every field complex. Such as answers to questions they ask of the spectators and participants at the matches. “How is your child enjoying this year in youth soccer?,” “What are your impressions of this season’s opposing teams and coaches?” and “Do you have anything you’d like to see changed?” It’s natural for people having ideas and concerns not to initiate a discourse if they believe their thoughts to be theirs alone, but if asked, they are generally very willing to answer. 

What have the Scouts found?

• On a couple of school-owned fields, they’ve found incorrectly measured features such as mismarked penalty areas.  
• They saw players’ younger siblings climbing on, and hanging from, unused goal structures. The Scouts saw what was happening and had the dangers eliminated before tragedy strikes.
• They found coaches incorrectly standing on the touchline and made sure that they returned to their technical area.
• They’ve found some newer referees mishandling the administrative procedures and were able to instruct them.  
• They have observed great joy and pleasure in the youth soccer experience by the vast majority of children and parents. And, they have found that a quiet word, to an “over-enthusiastic” parent from an unbiased observer, prevents the escalation into something the referee might have to address.

President Purdy added, “The response we have received to the Scout Program has been fantastic as it helps mentor refs and checks that the behavior of everybody at the field, including coaches, players and spectators, is appropriate. And if the program keeps everybody on their toes at matches, there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”

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.