By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
May 21, 2024-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is getting ready to host the State Cup finals on the weekend of June 1 and 2 at Stringham Park in LaGrange, the home of the LaGrange Soccer Club. The fields are located a short corner kick from the Taconic Parkway. 16 State Open Cup championship games and seven Challenge Cup finals will be played that weekend.
Cattle grazed on what are soccer fields today. Entrepreneur Karl Ehmer was the owner of a large beef cattle farm near a house he owned in the Town of LaGrange. In 1994, he sold the property to a developer and the deal was approved by the town after a portion of the land was donated to them for recreational use.
So Stringham Park, ironically with the word “ham” in it, was created just south of Stringham Road and east of Ehmer Drive. The name Stringham comes from a family with long-standing ties to the community. West of Stringham Park, luxury homes were built.
The LaGrange Soccer Club received two grants totaling $42,000 from the U.S. Soccer Foundation. The first grant, for $25,000 in 1997, was used to put up a building housing the concession stand, picnic area, bathrooms and lawn mowing equipment. The second grant, for $17,000 in 1999, put in the first part of irrigation system––pump, initial piping and wiring for the first phase. The money generated from the concession stand funded the expansion of the irrigation system to the entire complex as new fields were developed. Today, 14 soccer fields are spread throughout the 71 acres of the park.
If the excitement of the state championship becomes a little too much for you, relax by Keith’s Pond just west of the fields. Alongside the pond, you will find a gazebo and park benches where you can watch birds and ducks that take up their residence year-round. Fishing is also allowed on this peaceful pond.
For more info on the State Cup finals, please contact ENYYSA at 516-766-0849.
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/