By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
February 12, 2024-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) was very pleased to honor Atahan Yetimoglu as our 2023 Young Male Referee of the Year at our Hall of Fame Banquet on January 27 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.
Atahan took up the whistle with the Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA) in 2020 and recruited his two sisters, Armina and Tuana, to join him. He made outstanding progress and two years ago, he was awarded the LISRA Rising Star Award as well as a LISRA Scholarship. Atahan was valedictorian at Lindenhurst High School in 2022 and currently is majoring in Pre-Med at Stony Brook University. Attending college locally allows him to continue to ref Eastern New York soccer games throughout the year.
At Lindenhurst High School, he played soccer, ran track and swam, being honored as an All-County Swimmer as both a junior and senior. Musically, he plays the tenor saxophone, piano, clarinet and oboe. He somehow also finds the time to volunteer for the Lindenhurst Rotary Club.
Atahan is enthusiastic for all his assigned games, he has officiated from the Under-7 to Under-23 age groups and he has progressed to being assigned the Long Island Cup finals as well as College Showcase tournaments.
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 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/