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New Hyde Park Resident Willie Dempsey Inducted Into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

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

December 4, 2012-The Eastern New York State Senior Association and Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association congratulate New Hyde Park resident Willie Dempsey, who was inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame at the 2012 Holiday Party on December 1 at Lido Restaurant on City Island. We honored Willie’s involvement with the New York Irish Rovers amateur soccer club for the past three decades.

"His club is the second winningest club in the league after only Glen Cove," said Gus Xikis, president of the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL).

The LISFL nominated Willie for the Eastern New York Hall of Fame after naming him a Life Member at its Annual Awards Dinner last June.

Willie started playing soccer at age five in County Longford, Ireland where he grew up as the second youngest of two brothers and nine sisters––all of whom played soccer. His 10 siblings and he could have formed their own family soccer team. Willie came to the United States at age 17 in May 1985 to stay with an aunt for the summer. He never left, and never missed an opportunity to play soccer.

"I landed on a Friday and I played my first game for the Rovers on a Sunday," Willie recalled.

Willie, who has played defender throughout his career, won 10 New York State championships, 20 Long Island championships, 24 Long Island Cups as a player and coach for the Irish Rovers. Proving that nice guys finish first, Rover teams have also won six LISFL Sportsmanship Awards too.

At age 46, he’s still playing on the Rovers’ reserve squad.

"I love getting out on a Sunday and putting the boots on," he said.

Willie became reserve coach in 1989 and first team coach in 1993. He won the Reserve League Cup for three consecutive years.

He has been President of the Irish Rovers since 1997 and is the LISFL’s Third Vice President.

"Soccer’s been my life and it’ll always be my life as long as I’m able to get up and do it," Dempsey said.

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.

The Boys-Under-13 State Open Cup Title Goes to the Sachem Destroyers

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

June 4, 2015-In an intriguing match between two top teams, the Sachem Destroyers of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) defeated Downtown United Corinthians of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL), 2-0, to win the Boys-Under-13 State Open Cup. The title game for the championship in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) was played under sunny skies on May 30 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.

Nick Dittmer and Ian Lull scored to bring the title back to Suffolk County.

“The game was a midfield battle and we won the championship as we had the better midfield today,” commented Sachem coach Dan Kravitsky, who has coached Long Island youth teams to State Open Cup titles for the past three decades.

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.

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.

Professional Trainers: Cure or Curse?

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

It is impossible not to get dragged into the debate about professional coaches and pay-for-play discussions in the youth game. Having taught a variety of courses this summer and with a number left to still teach, I can share it is a hot topic for all. It is also a hot topic for club, league leaders and board members in all organizations around the country who see a decline in volunteerism and a profession with mixed standards and agendas.

To try and clear a path through the confusion, I think we can agree on certain things, after all this is America.

1. Every parent who can afford to and wishes to should be able to have a “professional” coach teach their child.

2. No kid should be left behind, and should the family wish to have access to a professional coach, it is the place of the governing bodies, leagues, tournament groups to ensure that this happens.

3. Soccer coaching is a profession. (It takes years and years to gain the necessary qualifications required to be a top-level coach.)

4. In many ways, standards within the profession hurt the reputation and respect that “teaching deserves”

5. That the single most important factor in a player developmental projectory is the quality of the coach placed in front of them.

Let’s examine the points above in a little detail

1. Every parent who can afford to and wishes to should be able to have a “professional” coach teach their child.

This is America and the land of the free – it should be every parent's right to have what they consider to be an educated coach teach their child. Part of this process should include information on helping parents make an advised decision.

2. No kid should be left behind, and should they wish to have access to a professional coach it is the place of the governing bodies, leagues, tournament groups to ensure that this happens.

During an election year, the topic of pay-for-play has quite rightly taken the foreground. Soccer historically has been the game of the people, often a working-class escape route and in more impoverished countries a chance to change the stars. In a country where many leagues, states, national groups and tournament groups are in a strong financial place, much more could and should be done to ensure that all players who want access to a professional coach get it.

3. Soccer coaching is a profession. (It takes years and years to gain the necessary qualifications required to be a top-level coach)

It has taken me as much time to become a professional coach as it did to earn a teaching degree. In fact, if I add up the accumulated hours on United Soccer Coaches diplomas and US Soccer Courses plus US Youth Soccer Courses, it has taken longer to become a fully educated coach than it took to become a teacher. Like many professions, we struggle to control the standards within our industry and far too frequently support ideas. Example, practice in conditions which do not support player development (weather) and tournaments rather than stand our ground and educate all as to why at certain times rest is more beneficial than more play. The profession needs to agree to a set of industry standards, seals of approval etc. along with an informational campaign designed to help parents understand what a professional coach is.

4. In many ways, standards within the profession hurt the reputation and respect that “teaching deserves”

Too many impostors who once kicked a ball or watched a game in Europe or played college soccer now posture themselves as a professional coach. Yet I am told there are cowboys and carpet baggers in every trade. We need more coaches who are willing to stand up and talk about professional learning communities and who strive to protect the profession than we need people looking to make some quick cash.

5. That the single most important factor in a player developmental projectory is the quality of the coach placed in front of them.

Yes, the environment helps and the players participating around you are important as well but without a quality coach to lead the process, no player fulfills his/her potential.

Professional coaches exist within every sport and are a vital part of youth development. To suggest they should cease to exist will not cure the problems with youth soccer.

What Core Values Are You Promoting?

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

Good coaches are holistic ones. They see the players they try to teach not just as mini-athletes but as people. Indeed, they see the players they coach as people first. They are concerned with the development of the whole person and are acutely aware that while many of the players they coach will not become professional athletes, they will become adults, parents and members of society. Once this fact has dawned on a coach, coaching becomes more than just teaching technique and tactics as it transforms into something that is much more important––it becomes leading people and teams.

One could argue that with all the distractions that surround a developing child, the business of being an effective leader of people is more important than a deep-seated knowledge of the game. We seem to live in a world where morals and ethics are in absolute chaos. People are quick to cheat and lie and the belief that it is okay to do so as long as you get something out of it is prevalent. The role models that our children are presented with in sports, entertainment and politics are often just great examples of how a caring and responsible adult or child should never behave. Everything that our culture seems to promote seems to be the exact opposite of the values that a good coach will have as the foundation of their team.

I often become concerned when teaching courses and modules that exist within them like leading the player and leading the team, ethics and morals in sport come up and need to be discussed. My concern lies with the fact that it is not until you make coaches aware of the huge responsibility they have as a role model, leader and teacher that they begin to even think about it.

So be very specific and to the point – All youth coaches must have an acute awareness of the core values that set the foundation of all their workings with a team and its players.

These core values must be deeply considered, believed in, talked about and lived by. They set the tone for all your team do and become. I challenge any youth coach reading this to do the following:

List the top five core values you believe are inherent in the way you teach. Note next to the core value the ways in which you address it with your team. See the examples below

All youth coaches should have at least a set of five core values that underpin all they do and should have some idea of how they are incorporating that core value into their team and their players.

Obviously the core values at the center of any team should be reflected by the parents of the players on the team. How many of the soccer parents reading this have a clear idea of the core values that are at the heart of your team? How many have ever considered it and what importance do you place on it?

The plain and simple truth for the vast majority of youth coaches is that you will not coach a professional or world class player. Probably not even a player that moves on to play at the collegiate level. WHAT YOU WILL DEFINITELY COACH IS YOUNG PLAYERS WHO WILL BECOME ADULTS WHO HAVE TO DEAL WITH LIFE'S PROBLEMS AND CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY IN A POSITIVE WAY. Perhaps it is time that we all spent a few moments considering the core values you have the chance to instill in the players you work with.

Legendary Ref Gino D’Ippolito Honored as the Personality of the Month in Eastern New York

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Gino D'Ippolito today

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

April 7, 2016-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Gino D’Ippolito is our Personality of the Month for April. Gino is the first person to be honored for his refereeing in the two years that Eastern New York has featured this award.

Gino officiated over 2,000 pro games and refereed international games in 29 countries. The world’s soccer stars in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, including the recently departed Johan Cruyff, all played in games refereed by Gino. The native of Colledimezzo, Italy has been a Yonkers resident since 1951 and he has always found the time to help Eastern New York and our Referee Program.

Gino explained how he became a ref. “I started refereeing in 1963 in Eastern New York. I was playing in a game and I was unhappy with the referee’s performance. After the game, I told the referee how I felt about his officiating. His response was, 'If you think you could have done a better job, why don’t you become a referee yourself?' So I did."

Three months later, in November 1963, Gino was assigned as an assistant referee (then called linesman) for a local adult game. The referee and the other AR did not show up so Gino became the ref. His father and brother were both at that game yet he got scared and his father told him after the match that the players and fans called him all sorts of names. But Gino refereed the same two teams the following year and, this time, no one was complaining.

He fell in love with being a referee, and in the late 1960’s, he was assigned to the pros, with the old National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), a forerunner to the original North American Soccer League (NASL).

“There was a tryout for upcoming players. All the teams in the league were playing a pre-season tournament in a round-robin format all weekend long,” Gino said. "This was the place where the league could experiment with new referees. All the refs before me did 20 minutes on the line, 20 minutes as a referee, and so on. They told me to ref. After 20 minutes, they said, ‘Okay, your time is up, you’re done, thank you for coming.' I thought, 'Well, I gave it my best shot.’ "

About a month later, Eddie Pearson called Gino to ref a pro game in Washington, DC. The rest is history as Gino advanced rapidly and made it onto the FIFA list in 1975.

Since then, he has refereed in virtually every soccer final the USA had to offer, including the NASL, American Soccer League (ASL) and Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). One championship game he did not officiate was the NCAA final, although he was assigned to do it twice but could not accept as he was assigned a NASL game the same day, which took precedence.

"I was also chosen to referee in the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the USSR, but a boycott by the USA kept me from my dream of officiating in the Olympics,” Gino stated.

He was an official at Pelé's first and last games as a New York Cosmos player. Pelé's first game was on Randalls Island, New York in 1975 and Gino was assigned as an AR. He was the referee for his retirement game in 1977, which was played in Giants Stadium and televised worldwide.

The now 81-year-old was an official in over 600 NASL games from 1968 until the league’s final season in 1984. He has travelled to 29 nations to ref international games, as well as 15 World Cup qualifiers for the 1978, 1982, and 1986 World Cups.

Gino was also an official for over 1,500 pro indoor games from 1978 to 2001 and because of all these games and his enthusiasm, he became one of the most well-known personalities in the MISL. That league had several series of trading cards so of course there had to be a Gino D’Ippolito trading card.

With all these professional games and college games, Gino could also be found refereeing both adult and youth games in Eastern New York as well as high school games in an officiating career that has now spanned more than five decades.

As State Referee Administrator, Enrico Romano is in charge of the thousands of referees in Eastern New York and commented, “Gino is my idol. He demonstrates what a person can achieve if he works hard and has desire and passion in what he does."

Gino has been a US Soccer National Assessor since 1985 and has become a fixture at the State Open Cup finals in LaGrange on the first weekend in June, giving pointers to Eastern New York’s up-and-coming refs. He has also been an inspector/assessor at every level from international matches to armed forces games and he is also a Major League Soccer (MLS) coach/mentor.

Please join us in congratulating Gino D’Ippolito, Eastern New York’s Personality of the Month for April.

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

Baruch College Men’s Soccer Coach Ranford Champagnie Honored as Personality of the Month in Eastern New York

Coach Ranford Champagnie (far right) and 2014 CUNY champion Baruch College.
Photo courtesy of Baruch College.

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

September 2, 2015-The September Personality of the Month in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has an appropriate last name as the first five letters spell “champ” and Ranford Champagnie has been a champion in youth soccer as well as high school and college soccer. He is nicknamed “Penny” since his surname is pronounced “Sham-Penny” and he grew up playing soccer in Eastern New York and on the island of Jamaica, helped lead St. John’s University to the NCAA championship as a player and has coached the Baruch College men’s soccer team to the past three City University of New York (CUNY) titles.

“Penny is a great example of someone who has reached and touched the stars and then is generous enough to pass on his knowledge and experience to today's youth and tries to push them to succeed on and off the field,” commented CUNY Athletic Conference Executive Director Zak Ivkovic. “His success at Baruch speaks for itself and we are very happy to have him represent the CUNY brand.”

Penny grew up in the Bronx and won a division championship with James Monroe High School, where he received the Eagles’ Iron Horse Award as MVP. He spent more than a penny in subway fare to cross boroughs and play for the Brooklyn Rovers of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL), winning the State Open Cup. Besides the CJSL, he also played youth soccer in Jamaica for Real Mona FC and Midhaven FC. Perhaps he is best known for helping lead the St. John’s Red Storm as a sophomore to the 1996 NCAA national championship while playing right midfield, center midfield and defensive back. It was the first-ever NCAA championship St. John’s ever won (in any sport) and the only other Red Storm team since to win the NCAA title was the 2001 fencing team.

Penny continued playing high-level soccer in the New York metro area for the Brooklyn Knights, New York Freedoms and Westchester Flames and got into coaching. He was appointed as the Baruch men's soccer coach on December 15, 2003, after previously serving as an assistant coach during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

During his first season as head coach, Penny led the Bearcats to their first-ever CUNY championship and appearance in the NCAA playoffs. For his efforts, he was named the 2004 CUNY Coach of the Year. He repeated those same accomplishments in 2006, as the Bearcats again won the CUNY title, returned to play in the NCAA playoffs and was named for the second time as CUNY Coach of the Year.

Penny has coached the Bearcats to the past three CUNY titles (2012-14) and they prepare for CUNY title #6 this fall, which ironically was his number at St. John’s. From never winning the conference championship before he took over as head coach, Penny’s leadership has been invaluable as he has coached Baruch to five CUNY titles in his 11 years in charge.

“What has been pivotal in Baruch winning these championships has been our organization and dedication by the kids and our wonderful staff,” Coach Champagnie commented. “I also learned a great deal from my coaches while growing up, particularly Coach Emilio, who taught me the technical aspect of the game, and Coach Dixon, my coach at Brooklyn Rovers who taught me the broader mental part of the game.”

The 39-year-old lives in Brooklyn with wife Christina and twin sons Julian and Justin. Congratulations to Ranford “Penny” Champagnie, the Personality of the Month in Eastern New York.

Ranford Champagnie, #6, winning the NCAA championship in 1996. Photo courtesy of the NCAA.

Eastern New York Soccer Players Use Their Hands at the End of Every Game

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Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League photo of Under-7 players shaking hands after a game

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

April 5, 2016-With the National Hockey League starting its Stanley Cup Playoffs, much will be made of the sportsmanship handshakes that occur among all the players at the conclusion of each of the 15 playoff series. That’s approximately 6,000 handshakes between NHL players this spring.

But if the media is reporting about that, shouldn’t they also report about the fact that sportsmanship handshakes take place at the conclusion of every soccer game played in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA)? There will be 50,000 games played in Eastern New York this spring, from pee-wees to Under-19, from the East End of Long Island to the Canadian border. You may not hear much about using hands in soccer, but at the end of every game, players, coaches and referees line up and shake hands. In case you are counting, that’s nearly 10 million handshakes that are taking place this spring in Eastern New York. And when you add in all the games that are played in our leagues and tournaments during the summer, fall and winter, that’s approximately 25 million handshakes at the conclusion of games every year.

Those 25 million handshakes are a very impressive figure although it pales in comparison to the 225 million burgers worldwide that McDonald’s will sell this year and even the 93 million gallons of milk that Starbucks uses annually.

Nevertheless, is it any wonder that the person most associated with sportsmanship in American soccer, Rocco Amoroso, comes from Eastern New York? Now a US Soccer Life Member, Rocco was concerned back in 1980 by what he believed was a lack of respect in the games of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), the largest league in Eastern New York. So the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program was born and greatly improved the discipline on soccer fields. The program spread locally, then nationally and internationally, under Rocco’s guidance and spirit.

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

New York Elite Alleycats Take the Boys-Under-11 Platinum Challenge Cup

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

June 26, 2022-The New York Elite Alleycats won the Boys-Under-11 Platinum Challenge Cup by shutting out the East Fishkill Outlaws, 4-0. This Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) championship game was played on June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.

Kaidyn Chung had two goals, Joe Esopi and Eddie Baia had one apiece while goalkeeper Sam Lester had the shutout in goal.

Alleycats coach John Mabee commented, “Both teams played very hard. We won balls in the middle of the field, our pressing style gave us an edge.”

East Fishkill received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died in 2016, started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland.

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/

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Uses Promotion and Relegation to Ensure Competitive Games

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Judy Rodriguez photo of national champion Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain

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

February 23, 2015-With the exception of pro, college and high school soccer in the United States, the rest of the world uses the promotion and relegation system. This system has divisions with diverse levels of ability. The top teams in each division are promoted to the higher division for the next season while the bottom teams are relegated to a less challenging division. This is the prevalent system used in soccer and in some other sports around the world.

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) uses promotion and relegation throughout its program to ensure that all divisions are competitive and there are very few routs. After all, nobody benefits from a 7-0 score, not the winning team and certainly not the losing team. Promotion and relegation also ensures that teams play new opponents every season.

At the top of the pyramid is the US Youth Soccer National League. Eastern New York teams that have recently played in this league include 2014 national champion Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain, 2013 national champion Smithtown Arsenal, two-time regional champ Dix Hills Elite, defending State Open Cup champion Dix Hills Hurricanes and seven-time State Open Cup champ Farmingdale United.

Right under that is the new Region 1 Champions League, with teams throughout the Northeast United States. This league is comprised of three divisions, with modified promotion and relegation implemented among the three divisions starting in the spring of 2016. The champion teams are promoted to the National League.

Under that is the Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) managed by the volunteers of ENYYSA. The ENYPL uses the slogan of “The Gateway to Regional Play” as the division champions are recommended by Eastern New York to play in the Region 1 Champions League. The division finalists also automatically qualify for the New York City Cup being played this summer.

Continuing down the youth soccer pyramid is the Eastern New York Champions Cup, a competition started last year. Division 1 champion teams from Eastern New York’s member leagues play against one another in June with the champion team being promoted to the ENYPL.

Under that are the member leagues, from Long Island to the Canadian border, and their travel teams who play from Division 1 to the lower divisions of each league. Those leagues with more than one division per age group generally use promotion and relegation. Below that is intramural soccer, with recreational teams playing each other within the same club and community. There is a team available for every child who wants to play soccer, no matter their athletic ability, throughout Eastern New York.

“One of the great things about soccer is the promotion and relegation system, which ensures that games and divisions are competitive every season,” commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “We’re very proud of teams such as Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain team, formed a decade ago, who climbed up the ladder in Eastern New York youth soccer and who won the Boys-Under-17 national championship last year.”

Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Names Sports Pins International As Its Preferred Awards Supplier

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

May 2, 2014-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has announced Sport Pins International Inc. (SPi) as its Preferred Awards Supplier.

Under the terms of the partnership, Sport Pins International will provide medals, pins and coins for Eastern New York programs, including the State Cup, Presidents Cup and the Kohl’s American Cup.

“Sport Pins is excited to become the Preferred Awards Supplier of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association,” said Sport Pins Director of Sales, Jeff Bivens. “We have been proudly serving Eastern New York for over 14 years and are excited to expand this relationship. We look forward to helping each association, tournament, club and team any way we can through our great products, outstanding graphic designs and customer service.”

Founded by Connie Bivens in 1980 and based in Upland, California, Sport Pins International has offered its customers the finest quality awards in the industry for more than 30 years. Sport Pins offers a full range of award and recognition products including pins, medals, coins, bag tags, plaques, trophies and a number of additional customizable products.

“We are very excited to welcome Sport Pins as the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association’s Preferred Awards Supplier,” Eastern New York President Richard Christiano stated. “Sport Pins has a great tradition and we look forward to the partnership as well as the quality product Sport Pins provides.”

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 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. 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 info on the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/. For more information on Sport Pins International, please visit http://www.sportpins.com/

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