By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
September 1, 2024-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is mourning the loss of longtime volunteer Jim Eleftherion, who passed away on August 29 at the age of 70.
The Mahopac resident first became involved in youth soccer when he started coaching three decades ago and he also served as a referee for two years. Jim then started volunteering with what is now the Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League (HVYSL) in the mid-1990’s and did that for over two decades.
Jim moved up the HVYSL ladder in many diverse roles, eventually becoming First Vice President and Games Chairperson. With his professional background in insurance as a guide, he created the league’s Risk Management Program, making it the benchmark in child protection throughout the state association. He also chaired or served on the office management, supervisory, appeals and Premier League committees. Jim also served as Director of the Hudson Invitational Tournament (HIT) for four years, improving the quality of the tournament and helping make it the premier HVYSL summer event it is today.
Former HVYSL President Ken Gulmi said of his longtime friend, “Jim was successful in everything he took on and was one of the smartest people that I ever met.”
Jim also volunteered as President of the Mahopac Sports Association Soccer Club two decades ago. He oversaw the financial restructuring of Mahopac, grew registrations by 25% in only three years, created a TOPSoccer program for the physically-challenged, renovated town fields and promoted a culture of coaching education where little had existed before him.
With Jim again leading the way and agreeing to serve as President, the Greater Hudson Valley Soccer League served as a competition for Under-23 male and female players from 2009 to 2013.
Jim volunteered for ENYYSA in many wonderful ways for over a decade until 2016. He served as the elected Treasurer while also serving on the Insurance and Olympic Development Program Scholarship Committees, in addition to being the Chairperson of the Budget and Risk Management Committees. It’s his work in the last role that saw him appointed to the Risk Management Committee of US Youth Soccer, which continued until his passing.
Jim was an acknowledged leader in establishing programs to protect children, serving first as a founding member and then becoming Chairperson 16 years ago of Eastern New York’s Risk Management Program. To protect our players, Eastern New York conducts background checks on coaches and referees before they participate in our games in addition to license certification they also must pass. They must pass this background check every two years to continue to be involved in our competitions as well as pass Safe Sport testing every year and watch Heads-Up Awareness videos on head injuries every two years.
In his five years as Treasurer, Jim did an incredible job in completely restructuring ENYYSA’s financial controls and reporting systems, moving to both a very sound financial footing and also to iron-clad auditability. This required that he add to his already considerable volunteer workload but he gladly did it for the good of our non-profit organization.
“Somehow, Jim always found the time to make a difference to soccer in so many ways,” commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano.
For all this volunteering, Jim was inducted into the HVYSL Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Eastern New York Hall of Fame in 2013.
The Brooklyn native became involved with organized soccer over 30 years ago but his friendship with another prominent member of the local soccer community lasted even longer. Jim met Steve Padaetz, now the Massapequa Soccer Club’s Chief Club Administrator, when Jim was in his early twenties and Steve was 17. They played street, deck and floor hockey together in the Brooklyn Iceless Hockey Association (BIHA) for nearly a decade, then volunteered decades later on Eastern New York’s Risk Management Committee.
Steve said, “As a young man, Jim had a tough street-wise exterior but his hard exterior belied his kindness and his passion. He was an extremely loyal person and that showed in how he played.”
Visitation is this Wednesday, September 4 from 4-8 pm at the Joseph J. Smith Funeral Home at 692 US-6, Mahopac, NY 10541. The funeral will be held on Thursday, September 5, 11 am at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 30 Clapboard Road, Danbury, CT 06811.
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/