Rob D

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

April 16, 2014-Chris Gulmi has been honored for her commitment to the game by the Eastern District Soccer League (EDSL). The Mahopac resident has served as the Registrar of the EDSL Under-23 Division for the past five years.

“Chris is a major reason why the EDSL has become the largest adult soccer league in Eastern New York as she is always willing and ready to help in any situation that might occur,” commented EDSL President Peter Pinori. “She and her husband Ken are also good friends to me and the entire Board of Directors.”  

Chris has been active in soccer for over 30 years, serving as the Mahopac Soccer Club’s Registrar for many years and becoming the Manager of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) office, a position she’s held for more than 25 years. She has devoted numerous hours as a volunteer at tournaments and coaching conventions as well and is universally respected by soccer organizations throughout the Hudson Valley.

Soccer runs in the Gulmi family as Ken served as President of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League from 1990 to 2012 and is the longtime Vice President of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Their kids––KJ, Joelle Marie, Drew, David and James––all played youth soccer while growing up. Joelle Marie played for the EHYSL Select Team and Ferrum College in Virginia (nationally-ranked in Division 3 at the time). Drew played for the EHYSL Select Team, then Manhattan College and served as an ENYYSA Olympic Development Program coach.

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.

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

September 13, 2022-This spring and summer, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) advocated replacing the badly-worn out Astroturf field at Big Bush Park, located between 61st and 64th Streets by Laurel Hill Boulevard in Woodside. New York City Parks has responded and announced that a new high-quality synthetic turf field will be put down next spring.

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/

Photo of Massapequa Arsenal being honored by the New York Cosmos

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

August 3, 2015-While it’s obviously not as big as the Ticker Tape Parade that the U.S. Women’s National Team received in Downtown Manhattan last month for winning the Women’s World Cup, Massapequa Arsenal is being celebrated on Long Island for winning the prestigious McGuire Cup, the symbol of the Boys-Under-19 national championship. The competition was started in 1935 and the last team from the Empire State to win the cup before Massapequa was Ukrainian of New York back in 1959, more than a decade before the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) was founded.

Massapequa, a Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) team, won the McGuire Cup on July 25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a 3-1 championship game win over St. Louis’ Scott Gallagher.

“We know what the McGuire Cup means,” Massapequa coach Tobias Bischof said at the time. “We know it’s the oldest youth competition in the U.S., and has been around for 80 years now. We knew there were only four New York teams who have ever won it. Now, the boys have found a way to win it (as well) and bring it back to New York, and we’re really happy about that.”   

Massapequa was honored by the New York Cosmos on August 2 before the NASL team’s 2-0 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Shuart Stadium. The boys will also be feted by local politicians and the youth soccer community this Wednesday night, August 5 from 8 to 9 pm at John Burns Park in Massapequa Park.

Ironically, the last LIJSL team to win the national championship before Massapequa was also named Arsenal. Smithtown Arsenal won the Boys-Under-16 national championship in 2013 and they will have the opportunity to play for the McGuire Cup in youth soccer’s National Championship Series next year as Smithtown would then be a Boys-Under-19 team.

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.

January 26, 2022-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) was founded in 1972 and is celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2022. ENYYSA has not had any in-person meetings since February 2020 because of the pandemic so plans for a formal golden anniversary acknowledgment will depend on the virus protocols later this year.

Interestingly, we were founded under a different name and our two largest leagues are older than ENYYSA.  

The German-American Junior Soccer League, now the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL), was founded in New York City in 1933. It’s the oldest and most historic youth soccer league in the United States. An original purpose of the league was for its graduates to become players in the adult league, now known as the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. 

In 1966, the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) was founded. The first steps to create the LIJSL were taken by Jack Maher of the Deer Park Celtics. Maher wrote to Pat Ryder, who was then President of the Long Island Soccer Football League, requesting the formation of a youth league to support the adult league, similar to what had occurred in New York City three decades before. Ryder had the foresight to see the benefit of a self-organized youth program and appointed Maher as the first Junior Commissioner.

With youth soccer starting to grow exponentially, George Donnelly and Enzo Magnozzi founded the Southern New York Youth Soccer Association in 1972 and Tony Perez became the first President.

In 1974, the West-Put Youth Soccer League, serving Westchester and Putnam Counties, was created and joined Southern New York. Now known as the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL), it continues to serve soccer clubs in Westchester and Putnam but now also has clubs in Dutchess, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties plus the northeastern corner of Pennsylvania. 

Steve LaRosa became President of the Southern New York youth in 1976. The Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL) was founded at Shenendehowa High School that year by Peter Clinton, Larry Henry, Cesare Maniccia, Roy Pfeil and others. 

1978 was a very important year as Ivor Foster was elected President, the Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) and our Children With Special Needs Program kicked off.

Sal Davilo, Joe Licata and Sal Parello founded our league on Staten Island.

Children With Special Needs playing in an organized league actually started in Southern New York when two LIJSL clubs, the Huntington Boys Club (HBC) and Massapequa Soccer Club, separately began programs in an era when these kids playing sports is not as accepted as it is today. Craig Ludin, who has Down Syndrome and has been playing for HBC since he was a young boy, has so many medals from the Special Olympics that he has been inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Two years later in 1980, the same year that Howard Rubenstein was elected President of Southern New York, Rocco Amoroso started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program as he was concerned about a lack of discipline and respect on soccer fields. The program spread locally, then nationally and internationally.

As new leagues were created, both the senior and youth association started admitting clubs north of Albany so “Southern New York” was obviously no longer appropriate. Since our geographic area now encompassed clubs from Long Island to the Canadian border east of Route 81, which connects Binghamton and Syracuse, in 1984 Rubenstein and the incoming President, Peter Masotto, changed the name from the Southern New York Youth Soccer Association to our present name of Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Rubenstein and Costas Mallios made the same name change from Southern New York to Eastern New York with the adults in 1988.

In 1997, the Mid State New York Soccer League started playing in ENYYSA. Previously, its teams played in the New York West state association. Teams come from a vast geographical region of Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Herkimer, Oneida and Madison counties.

Also in 1997, Luis Montoya founded the Big Apple Youth Soccer League to serve the growing Latino community in New York City. Two years later, the Metrokids Interregional Soccer League was founded, also to serve the increasing number of Latino families in New York City. 

The Central New York State Soccer League was founded in 2001 and it serves Oneida, Madison and Herkimer counties.

Masotto served as the ENYYSA President for more than two decades, from 1984 to 2006. Then Barry Salter was President from 2006 to 2010 and he was succeeded by Richard Christiano, Eastern New York’s President for the past dozen years.

Back row, left to right: Coach Jo, Coach Chris, Vincent La Fata, Tommy Lang, Dan Sparkowski, Steven DeVerteuil, Sean Lyons, Jimmy Langjahr, Mike Stutts, Coach/Trainer JP Hughes.
Front row, left to right: Oscar Osorio, Trevor Cannella, Tommy Hamel, Frank Iacovano, Nick Colardi, Nick Weinert, Mike Sannito, Alberto Abreu

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

July 1, 2017-Levittown Nitro saved the best for last as they won the Boys-Under-18 Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) championship on June 18 at Division High School in Levittown. Their 5-2 title game win was over a rival Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) team, the Valley Stream Warriors, who made their second trip to the ENYPL finals in the past two years. 14 of the 15 Levittown players are seniors who graduated from high school last month.

“The boys are always supportive and encouraging of one another. They are a close-knit group and it's clear to see when you watch them on and off the field as they've been playing together for many years, some since Under-10,” said coach Jo Colardi. “This championship game was their last game together and they were determined to end their last season on a high note. It was a total team effort and the coaches and trainer couldn't be prouder.”

In the win, Frank Iacovano scored two goals with Tommy Hamel, Tommy Lang and Nick Weinert adding one a piece.  

The ENYPL, organized by the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), is America’s oldest continuous Premier League, having originally kicked off play in 2001. 

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.

Richard J. Nellis

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

May 29, 2014-One in 68 children are born with autism, which hits home for the Nellis family on Staten Island as their 18-year-old son, Richard J. Nellis, has Autism Spectrum Disorder, which he was diagnosed with when he was two.
 
His father, Richard, volunteers as the Third Vice President of the Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL), the southernmost league of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), and his “real job” is Manager of Business and Production Operations for NBA Entertainment. Both the SIYSL and the NBA support autism causes.
 
Richard J. experienced 15 minutes of fame by appearing in the NBA’s in-studio video on autism awareness. He graduated from Port Richmond High School last June with an Advanced Regents Diploma and now attends the College of Staten Island.
 
“Our proudest moment was during his high school graduation when, as a member of the chorus, he surprised our family with a solo during the performance of Michael Jackson’s earth song,” said the proud dad.
 
Richard J.’s musical ability has blossomed under the GRACE Foundation’s Graceful Glee Program. The GRACE (Getting Resources for Autistic Children’s Equality) Foundation is committed to support, educate and enhance the quality of life for children/adults and their families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“Although Richard has not played soccer, he has done the PA announcing during this year’s March Madness Indoor Tournament,” his father stated. “He has also helped in soccer field set-up and clean-up and with the concession stand like his 16-year-old brother Daniel and 12-year-old sister Kaitlyn, both of whom play in the SIYSL. Soccer has become a major part of our family, with two kids playing, me coaching and being a former club director plus current VP of the league, and my wife Joann helping me coach the last two years as well as run the concession stand last year. So we thought we could use soccer and the league as a vehicle for autism awareness.”
 
The SIYSL has been selling blue T-shirts for $10 at its fields. The T-shirts utilize the puzzle piece, a traditional symbol for autism, with the SIYSL logo. On May 14, the SIYSL’s St. John Neumann soccer club raised money through a Zumba Night at their church.
 
A total of nearly $2,000 has been raised so far this spring for the GRACE Foundation with T-shirt sales continuing through the conclusion of the Spring Season.
 
“The Staten Island Youth Soccer League is very pleased to support the good work of the GRACE Foundation,” said Bill Smith, who was recently re-elected to his sixth term as President of the SIYSL.

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. 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.