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Force FC Win the Girls-Under-15 State Open Cup Title

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

June 16, 2021-The Girls-Under-15 State Open Cup championship game for the Jack Bauman Cup on June 5 at Stringham Park in Lagrange was an intriguing affair between Force FC of the Hudson Valley and the New York Surf Academy. Force FC prevailed, 1-0, on a goal by Lily Bandel and a shuotout in goal by Reese Dolan.

The cup’s namesake, Jack Bauman, is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. Jack 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.

New York Surf did not go home empty-handed as they received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award, as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died in 2016, started the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread around the world.

Force FC will represent Eastern New York from June 25 to July 1 at Hammonton, New Jersey as part of the National Championship Series.

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/

Myths, the Truth and a Plea Regarding Games

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

It is now a well-researched and documented fact that any player hoping to fulfill their soccer potential needs to experience 10,000 hours of intense practice or to put it another way, 2,237,000 touches by age 17.

In many countries where free play was the normal path to competence, these number of hours and touches were achieved by playing in the streets in child organized environments for 2-3 hours every day, seven days a week. In most cultures, those days are long gone.

There are many people running leagues and tournaments that are promoting the myth that the best way to soccer competence is by playing an ever-increasing number of games. The numbers state that this is simply not true.

It is a well-documented statistic from the professional world that in a 90+ minute game, each player has possession of the ball for just over two minutes. The table below presents the corresponding touches for youth players:

The table above assumes that all players receive equal playing time and we all know that this is not the case. Using the above table and assuming 100 games per year (you should be scared), this amounts to a total time of 136 minutes possession of the ball for the average U14 player.

As the table below shows, even for the very best player who the coach ensures never leaves the field the total amount of time in possession at U14 for 100 games is still only 223 minutes.

Now, if you look at the game development issue in relation to the 10,000 hours of intense practice or 2,237,000 touches that I started this article with. For an average player at 100 games a year from U14 up it would take a staggering 50 years to reach our 10,000 hours. I am not sure that anyone has researched how many average touches a 60-year-old player gets per game, but then I doubt that 100 games is possible.

If we examine the same numbers from a well structured training session. In stating well structured as you can see from the activities presented, we stay true to the NO LAPS, NO LINES, NO LECTURES coaching mantra that dominates all modern day coaching courses.

So in a well-planned training session each player has approximately 21.25 minutes of possession. Stated another way in case you are in doubt, attending well-planned training sessions for six months produces the same number of ball possessions as SIX YEARS OF PLAYING 100 GAMES per year.

What should be apparent to all is that simply throwing more and more games at our youth players is not the answer. A well thought out developmental plan with a sensible and balanced game/training session ratio is required.

I thought it appropriate in light of all the numbers and facts presented above to finish with a plea. I have spent the last 25 years in America teaching courses, educating parents and trying desperately to ensure that no player gets left behind. Thousands of coaches have been transformed from a LAPS, LINES AND LECTURES approach in which players rarely touch a ball, do laps around the field, dribble through cones (as a young 8-year-old said, "We never play against cones!") and yet I still observe practice after practice in which no sensible or fun soccer development takes place.

Please do all you can within your club and league to bring in any form of coaching education…our young players deserve the chance.

Coaches, What is Your Plan for Parents’ Engagement?

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

I passionately believe that for any youth player to fulfill their potential as person and a player while developing a lifelong love for sport that the trinity of coach, player and parent must work in harmony.

One of the greatest tragedies in youth sports is that this trinity rarely if ever seems to work as a team. The reasons for this lack of cooperation seem to be centered around the following:

Smithtown Chelsea Are the New Boys-Under-15 State Champions

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

June 9, 2016-Smithtown Chelsea of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) are Boys-Under-15 State Open Cup champs after their 3-0 shutout of Orange County’s Primo FC 00-01 of the Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL). The title game was played on June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.

As Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) champs, Smithtown will be playing for the Regional championship from June 30 to July 5 in Barboursville, West Virginia and Eastern New Yorkwill help pay for their costs.

“We had to stay composed and calm to retain possession,” commented Smithtown coach Chris Herrschaft. “Primo FC has too many weapons to contain so we had to keep the ball.”

Chris Galindo had two goals and Ryan Grande added one to give Smithtown the title. Goalkeeper Jake Meaney had the shutout in goal.

Primo FC received the Howard Rubenstein Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Now living in Kentucky, 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 LIJSL.

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.

Joan Czach Named as the Region 1 Administrator of the Year

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

November 12, 2013-Longtime Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Executive Director Joan Czach has been selected as the Region I Administrator of the Year. She will be honored at the US Youth Soccer/NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia in January. This is far from the first honor for the longtime West Babylon resident as she has already been inducted into the Halls of Fame for the LIJSL in 1994 and for the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) in 2010.

"Joan is one of the most respected soccer individuals on Long Island and she is the first person a board member, club president, registrar, coach or parent call upon for advice or information," commented LIJSL President Addie Mattei-Iaia. "They may not always be happy with Joan’s answers to their questions, especially regarding the rules, but they know that they are receiving the right advice from the right person."

Joan began her career in youth soccer when she volunteered to be an assistant coach for her son’s intramural team, the West Babylon Panthers, in 1978. They became the first West Babylon intramural team to win a tournament, then started playing travel in the LIJSL in 1982. Joan took over as the head coach of the Panthers in 1988 when the original coach, Maureen Nohilly, was killed by a drunk driver.

When the Panthers were too old for youth soccer and in college, the players made Joan promise that she would take over a new Under-9 team and also name them the West Babylon Panthers. But the original Panthers, born in 1973, could never had imagined what the new Panthers, born in 1982 and ‘83, would accomplish as they became one of the most successful LIJSL teams ever. The Panthers won five State Cup championships and 12 major tournament titles, including one in San Juan, Argentina. The best was yet to come as they won the Boys-Under-17 national championship in 2000, received the Fair Play Award at the nationals as well as the Golden Boot Award (forward Anthony Barberio) and Golden Glove Award (goalkeeper James Cjasko). But tragedy also struck these Panthers as they won the national championship just weeks after their team captain was killed in a car accident.

While coaching, Joan served as the treasurer for the West Babylon Soccer Club, regularly volunteered for weekend duty working their hot dog truck and co-chaired club dinner/dances. She volunteered for the LIJSL as a Division Supervisor, Chase Cup Chairperson and Games Chairperson plus volunteered for ENYYSA as the State Cup coordinator. In 1991, Joan was elected to the LIJSL Board of Directors and became the LIJSL Executive Director in 1997.

16 years ago, the LIJSL did not use databases as everything was handwritten on paper and the league registration process went on for weeks. Joan streamlined the program, starting a database and greatly reducing the number of volunteer hours needed for registration. She also developed a program to record referee’s game reports and issue their checks in one step that used to take two weeks.

Joan wrote a LIJSL coaching manual for new coaches, and with Joan Connor, gives 10 nightly coaching orientation courses. Over 14,000 coaches have gone through the course.

During her tenure as Executive Director, she successfully petitioned the LIJSL Board of Directors to allow girls teams from the Big Apple Youth Soccer League and Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League, without a place to play, to compete as guest teams in the LIJSL.

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.

Six Wonderful Teenagers Receive Long Island Soccer Referee Association Scholarships

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From left to right: LISRA Scholarship Chairperson Jean-Marie Maio, scholarship recipient Alexander Beattie and LISRA President Cathy Caldwell

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

June 24, 2023-Founded in 1971, the Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA) is one of the oldest organizations in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and the largest referee association by far in the state.

LISRA started its College Scholarship Program a decade after its founding, in 1981. Under the direction of LISRA Recording Secretary and Scholarship Chairperson Jean-Marie Maio, the program is open to high school seniors who are either LISRA members or the child of a LISRA member and moving on to higher education. Jean-Marie and her committee select the scholarship recipients based on essay, resumé, recommendations and grades.

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From left to right: LISRA Scholarship Chairperson Jean-Marie Maio, scholarship recipient Victoria Buzzitta and LISRA President Cathy Caldwell

Six outstanding teens received $750 LISRA scholarships at LISRA’s June Meeting on June 8 at the James Allen School in Dix Hills. The colleges they will be attending are also listed:

Jeremy Abel-The Ohio State University
Erik Albanese-Mount Saint Mary College
Robert Baldwin-Geneseo State
Alexander Beattie-Tufts University
Victoria Buzzitta-St. Joseph’s University (Patchogue)
Michael Fallon-The Ohio State University

Elections were also held at the June meeting. Tom Beattie was elected Vice President, Rich Eisenberg was selected as Treasurer and Kenny Salguero was elected Corresponding Secretary.

From left to right: LISRA Scholarship Chairperson Jean-Marie Maio, scholarship recipient Michael Fallon and LISRA President Cathy Caldwell

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 Announces Focus as a Video Analysis Partner

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

September 25, 2018-The ability to analyze performance and provide vital visual feedback to soccer players has a crucial role in both player and team development. Advances in video and computer analysis technology now provide the opportunity to develop performance more quickly and effectively than ever before. However, the cost of accessing this technology has always been a major barrier for coaches.

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So the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is delighted to announce a unique agreement with Performance Innovation to provide their globally popular Focus video analysis software to all of our member coaches at a heavily discounted cost.

Focus is already used by coaches in more than 80 countries and is utilized at every level of the game from international and pro teams, to Academy, club, college and high school programs. The technology has powerful, easy-to-use game analysis, player analysis and tactical analysis capability. At the grassroots levels, Focus enables the opportunity to provide young players with crucial visual feedback.

Our aim is to ensure that Eastern New York coaches have the opportunity to access and benefit from these powerful coaching tools. The cost of the Focus software is normally $1,225 but through this unique partnership, all Eastern New York coaches can now access the Focus technology for only $150.

There are versions of Focus for Windows, Mac, iPad and Android users and each of these versions provide the same range of powerful analysis and visual feedback tools.

The Focus software allows you to add your game or practice video and quickly add (tag) any important moments (events). The real power and value of Focus is that once you have entered your events, you can then instantly access and interactively view any aspects of performance that you are interested in (e.g. every corner kick, attack, turnover, pass by a specific team or individual player etc.).

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ENYYSA Director of Coaching Instruction Tim Bradbury believes that making video analysis technology available to more coaches is a big step forward.

“Our aim is to always provide opportunities for coaches to improve, and the Focus software certainly does this. The ability to analyze performance and provide more effective feedback to players is crucial and we are therefore delighted that our coaches can now access this technology at an affordable cost,” Coach Bradbury stated. “We are also very excited to announce that all members of our staff instructor team will have access to Focus on the Coaching Education courses, further enhancing the learning and development experience for our member coaches.”

Ian Donnelly, Managing Director at Performance Innovation, welcomes the chance to work with Eastern New York.

Donnelly explained, “Eastern New York soccer has a great reputation in coaching education and development and we are very much looking forward to this opportunity. We are excited at the prospect of their coaches, working at all levels, being able to integrate powerful video analysis technology into their coaching programs for the first time.”

Click here for an overview of the program: https://youtu.be/n2UHWECRXrg

For more information, please contact Performance Innovation at info@performanceinnovation.net

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.

Eastern New York Celebrates 100 Years!

The Southern New York Senior Soccer Association was founded 100 years ago and became the Eastern New York Senior Association (Adults). George Donnelly and Enzo Magnozzi founded the Southern New York Youth Soccer Association (SNYYSA), (currently Eastern new York Youth Soccer Association, youth) in 1974 and Tony Perez became the first President. Howard Rubenstein became President in 1980.

The United States Youth Soccer Association was founded around the same time, in 1974, and this was one of the reasons SNYYSA was founded.

The Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League as well as the Long Island Junior Soccer League were founded before SNYYSA so all youth games were played under the umbrella of the senior association until the mid-1970’s.

Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain’s Emphatic 5-1 Win Gives Them the Boys-Under-17 State Open Cup Title

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

June 9, 2014-A famous line from Casablanca, “We’ll always have Paris,” is appropriate for the State Open Cup finals as Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain of the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) has played in the last five championship games. But the other “usual suspect,” Smithtown Arsenal of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), did not make the final this year. Play can be very competitive in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) as Smithtown, defending national champions who played last winter on ESPN, were eliminated in first round group play by the Massapequa Celtics. Massapequa was in turn eliminated in the quarterfinals by the WYSL’s Ramapo Valley Tornados, who faced Manhattan in the final.

Amara Sesay scored two goals with Sean Fitzgerald, Sebastian Goicochea and Mamoud Keita all adding one as Manhattan coasted to a 5-1 win to give them the Boys-Under-17 State Open Cup on June 1 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.

“I think that the most talented team won as we dominated from the beginning of the game,” commented Manhattan coach Wilson Egidio. “We dealt with their long throw-ins and corner kicks well as Ramapo Valley has a lot of tall players.”

Manhattan received a $2,000 check from Eastern New York to defer the costs of playing in the Regionals from June 26 to July 1 in Kingston, Rhode Island.

Ramapo Valley received the Howard Rubenstein Sportsmanship Award as selected by the match officials. 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 LIJSL.

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 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.

Get The 411….

Indoor leagues, who is running the league? When an organization runs a indoor soccer league, check to insure your team has medical and liability insurance coverage. If a member league of ENYYSA is running a competition, regardless of where it takes place, all participants have medical and liability insurance coverage. Organizations that are not members of ENYYSA are not authorized or sanctioned to run leagues utilizing our insurance.

Tournaments, are they sanctioned? If you are traveling to an unrestricted tournament (meaning any US Soccer affiliate may attend), your team will have insurance coverage, provided that you obtain an authorization to travel.

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