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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
July 30, 2014-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) congratulates Lauren Kogelmann, who has received a Jack Bauman Scholarship. The scholarship’s namesake, Jack Bauman, is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. He was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club, Eastern New York and making sure that girls had as many opportunities to play soccer as boys did in an era when girls playing sports was not as accepted as it is today.
 
In the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL), Lauren played midfield for the Alleycats Lynx, who won the State Open Cup in 2012 and 2013 plus were crowned as champions of the Northeast Regional Premier League (NERP) in 2011 and the Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) in 2010.

At Guilderland High School, Lauren was their center midfielder for the past three years, leading the Flying Dutchmen to the Southern Division title of the Suburban Council all three years plus being honored on The Times-Union Team. She also received High Honors from the 6th through the 12th Grade.

Lauren wrote in her essay, “I have been sacrificing for soccer since the second grade. Even if it only meant missing a birthday party back then, the time and effort that I have devoted to soccer since then has been enormous. I do it because I love soccer and because I’m never satisfied with being ‘just good enough.’ I’m not one to say, ‘Maybe next time’ or ‘I’ll work on that tomorrow’ because that means I’ve stopped improving. I focus on what I want and go for it; no bumps or pit stops can keep me from traveling along the road to success.”

Good luck to Lauren as she studies and plays soccer this fall at NCAA Division 3 champion William Smith College in Seneca Lake.

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

October 12, 2018-The 7th Annual Marianne Volpe 5K and Pumpkin Fun Run will be held on Saturday, October 27 at Baldwin Harbor Park to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). In the first six years of the run, $175,000 has been raised for LLS. 

Marianne’s husband, Jim Volpe, is Chairperson of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) so both the soccer and running communities are expected to once again support this very worthy cause in her name. Jim started the run the day before Hurricane Sandy hit the New York metro area in 2012.

Marianne passed away from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of blood cancer, at the age of 56 on October 14, 2011. There are countless stories of extraordinary people like Marianne whose lives are cut tragically short by this horrible disease. 

Jim and Marianne’s children, Chelsea and Shaun, grew up playing in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), then played for Manhattan College and are still involved in the game today as adults.

For more info, please see the attached flyer or log on to https://www.active.com/baldwin-ny/running/distance-running-races/marianne-volpe-5k-and-pumpkin-fun-run-2018

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
 
August 18, 2015-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) congratulates Noelle Batista of Hicksville, who has received a Jack Bauman Scholarship.

Noelle wrote in her essay that “the first soccer trophy that I ever received dates back to 2001, when I was just four years old. At that age, soccer was simply a game of fun where I got to run around with my friends and chase after the ball, but what I did not realize was how much of an impact the game would have on my life. After taking on the leadership role of my team, I learned the significance of responsibility and what it meant to lead by example. It not only required individual skill, but more importantly the communication and willingness to work with my teammates to win a game.”

At Hicksville High School, Noelle captained the girls varsity team to its first ever county championship game and was honored as All-State and All-County in addition to being All-County in lacrosse plus receiving Scholar/Athlete Awards in soccer, lacrosse and track. She was a member of the National Honor Society, English Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Social Studies Honor Society and on the Principal’s List all four years of high school.

In the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), she played for the Hicksville Americans Soccer Club and has been an assistant referee for the past four years for the Long Island Soccer Referee Association (LISRA). She somehow found the time to volunteer with the Jones Beach Breast Cancer Walk, Autism Walk, the Wellness Fair and the Turkey Bowl fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy victims.

Noelle will be majoring in biology and pre-med plus playing soccer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The scholarship’s namesake, Jack Bauman, is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. He was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club, Eastern New York and making sure that girls had as many opportunities to play soccer as boys did in an era when girls playing sports was not as accepted as it is today.

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

August 15, 2018-West Islip resident Liam Farrell is receiving a Livio D’Arpino Scholarship from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). The award is based on success in high school as well as community service and Eastern New York wishes Liam the best at Cornell University this fall.

Liam was Class President at West Islip High School and National Honor Society President in Grades 11 and 12. He was also a member of both the National English Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society. He had a weighted GPA above 100%, was part of the Mock Trial Team, plus represented West Islip High School in volleyball as well as track and field.

In the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), Liam served as team captain for the past four years with the West Islip Heat. In addition to the scholarship from Eastern New York, he also received a LIJSL Scholarship.

Liam wrote in his essay, “The game of soccer has been with me for my entire life, and I truly believe it has shaped who I am today. Refereeing within my club drove me to pursue a higher qualification of the same sort and today, I am a Grade 8 Referee. I truly enjoy enforcing the Laws of the Game and teaching them to kids, who are just beginning travel soccer as I once was. Most importantly, however, my travel team has influenced me beyond comprehension. The injuries I’ve sustained taught me resilience and determination. The countless practices have shown me that it does indeed take hard work to win. Of course, the losses we’ve sustained have shown me that it’s always possible to work harder. However, I think the most important thing soccer has given me are the friendships and memories with my teammates. The sense of camaraderie we have is unmatched, and the guys on my team have shown me what true friends really are.“

The scholarship’s namesake, Livio D’Arpino, was a beloved Eastern New York Vice President who was seemingly involved in every level of local soccer before his untimely passing in 2002. 

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

September 20, 2016-Enrico Romano has been elected to the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Board of Directors. He has just started serving a 2-year term as Trustee.

Despite his surname meaning “Roman,” Enrico grew up a long corner kick south of Rome (and Naples, for that matter), playing soccer in Teggiano in the Province of Salerno before emigrating to the United States in 1974. He became a coach in the Beekman Youth Soccer Club in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) and he coached his Boys-Under-19 travel team to winning the Dutchess Cup.

The Poughkeepsie resident, who can speak English, Italian and Spanish fluently, became a certified referee in 1998. He currently serves both the Hudson Valley Soccer Referees Association (HVSRA) and Mid-Hudson NISOA Chapter as President. He also served as the referee assignor, the person who schedules refs, in Eastern New York’s adult and youth programs, the EHYSL as well as college referees in the Independent Soccer Officials Assigning Bureau (ISOAB).

Enrico led the refs in Eastern New York as the State Referee Administrator from 2013 to 2016. During this time, the number of registered refs increased 30% to over 4,000 officials, he hosted top clinicians at Elite Referee Meetings at Fordham University in the Bronx and he had new referees in EHYSL be mentored by experienced officials.

Enrico has spent decades as a coach, referee, instructor, assessor and volunteer in the Hudson Valley. So it makes perfect sense, with all these good works, that Enrico is an EHYSL Hall of Famer, being inducted in 2010.

“I’m excited in knowing that Enrico will bring a lot of innovative ideas to Eastern New York’s Board of Directors to serve all our players,“ commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano.

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 Instruction, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

One of the unfortunate outcomes of the enormous number of games that youth players are involved in seems to be a complete anesthetization of the competitive spirit.  I think people who have only played sports for social purposes may consider this to be unimportant but as a former player who loved to compete and had a great desire to play at the highest and most competitive level possible it saddens me.  As a coach who continues to work with athletes who wish to compete in high level leagues like ENY Premier, NERP and Region 1 it absolutely baffles me. I suspect that many of you reading this will immediately acknowledge the issue and like myself will be searching for ways to remedy it.

As a coach I believe my role is to teach the techniques and tactics of the game in manner which helps the players solve the problems of the game at the highest possible level which their level of athleticism will allow them to compete.  I further believe that it is my duty to teach the game in a manner which leaves my players wanting to play and compete for life.

It is not my job to scream at players and give long inspiration speeches designed to ignite the spark of desire and intensity that leads to healthy competition. I know Hollywood loves the image of a low level team being incredibly altered by some amazing words uttered in earth shattering tones, fists clenched and fighting back the tears from a maverick coach….. BUT REALLY…. It’s just an image that sells movie tickets, it’s not real life.

If I were to interview 100 high level athletes they would all talk about their personal ability to motivate themselves, their ability to find a way prior to the big games of lighting a fire in their own stomachs, igniting the adrenaline rush that helps lead to superior play? I suspect they would laugh at the suggestion that a screaming coach is needed to get the job done.

I guess deep down my concern is fueled by my deep rooted and core beliefs about the values of sport. I believe that at its very  best ,character changing and forming moments sport is about two highly intense and adrenaline rushed teams propelled to compete at the highest possible level  battling out on the field.  At these times I truly believe sport is beautiful to watch.  I guess it is because of these beliefs that I find the inability of the majority of our youth players to motivate themselves incredibly frustrating.

I think that the following are the issues that are leading to the anesthetization of the competitive spirit and the consequent removal of the adrenaline rush that leads many parents to ask the question, “Do you really care about playing?”

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

There are so many cute and catchy phrases that clubs, coaches and leagues throw out when attempting to recruit new players or members that many of them such as “Elite Academy Training," “Expert Professional Staff” and, of course, “For the Love of the Game” have all lost any sense of purpose or meaning.  They have evolved into empty cliches that nobody tries to fulfill. 

As we head into the Spring Season, it is a good time to consider what the phrase Love of the Game truly refers to. I believe the true and beautiful answer lies at the heart of a child’s desire to PLAY. The type of play that is child-controlled with no coaches or adults around. Where kids pick the teams, make the goals with garbage cans or sweatshirts get to decide the rules (such as only score with a header or volley). 

I understand these environments no longer exist, not just in the USA but in most countries in the world. Instead, we have sucked the fun out of the game with an overemphasis on drills, structure, coaches shouting orders at kids telling them when and where to move plus a win at all costs attitude. Many people have written about this in a much more articulate manner than I can. Lots of podcasts, Ted Talks  and books have been produced to try and get back to a place where we can honestly claim that a Love of the Game, a desire to play Ssoccer and sport for life is at the center of our agenda. 

I urge clubs, teams and groups of parents to have open and honest discussions on the questions below: