By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
May 23, 2024-There are many diverse reasons for becoming a soccer referee. For Jerry Owenburg, it was to stay involved with the Beautiful Game after a lengthy playing and coaching career.
Jerry grew up playing in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). Referees took an interest in him and taught him to always respect the rules.
“I was fortunate as a teenager playing in many international youth tournaments such as the Dana Cup in Denmark, the Gothia Cup in Sweden, the Germany Cup, Paris Cup and the Holland Cup,” Jerry explained. After that, Jerry started his college playing career at LIU Post and then became team captain and MVP at Farmingdale State.
As an adult player, Jerry won two State Cup championships with West Babylon and one with Carle Place of the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL) plus he also played for the New York Greek-Americans of the Northeast Super Soccer League.
By then, Jerry had started coaching and his teams included the Olympic Development Program (ODP) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), where his side won the Regional ODP championship, as well as LIJSL Select, the Long Island Rough Riders, New York Surf, Atletico, St. Joseph’s University where his men’s team won the conference plus his alma mater, West Babylon High School, which had the highest team GPA in the nation.
“I’m especially proud that two of the players I coached, Sal Caccavale and Jerrod Laventure, were signed by the Red Bulls,” Jerry added.
“Last year, I took my first break from coaching in 30 years. During that year, I had time to reflect on my playing and coaching career. One of the areas that stood out was how this game impacted my life and made me the person I am today. The most significant memories were not necessarily the wins, losses or championships. It was the relationships and how people impacted my life and helped me along the way. Of course, coaches and teammates were among the list, but what also stood out were the referees,” Jerry explained. “So with my recent break from coaching, it became the perfect opportunity to take some time to enjoy the game from a different perspective and stay connected with the people in the soccer community that mean so much to me.”
So Jerry started refereeing this year and has done well, even being in the middle for Under-19 games in his first season. The Sayville resident, who is Principal at Bellmore JFK High School, said that he is disappointed when he sees adults treat young refs poorly.
“I’m so proud of some of the young game officials I’ve met who take on the role of referees. These young refs are the future of our game and they need adults to be patient and supportive.”
Jerry stated, “I like everything else about refereeing. This has been such a positive experience that I’ve already set my sights on working towards becoming a Regional Referee. I strongly encourage other former players and coaches who miss the game to consider the role of referee as a way to keep soccer in their life.”
Are you interested in joining Jerry in becoming a referee or assistant ref? Eastern New York is looking for new Grassroots Referees and the certification class consists of both online and classroom learning. For more information, log on to https://enysreferee.org/how-to-become-a-referee/. If you have any questions, e-mail questions@enysreferee.org
For more info about becoming an official on Long Island, please contact Marty Foeppel at MartyFoeppel@gmail.com
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 US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/