By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 8, 2024-At the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Associaton (ENYYSA) Annual General Meeting on August 3 at the Sonesta Hotel in White Plains, Eastern New York’s youth leagues unanimously gave Life Member status to longtime volunteer Mike Finnegan. The Life Member award in local youth soccer is equivalent to the Lifetime Achievement Award designation used by other groups.
“A reason that the vote was unanimous is Mike’s steady personality is so deserving for Life Member status and he has volunteered in youth soccer for nearly 50 years plus continues volunteering today,” stated ENYYSA President Richard Christiano.
Mike began his soccer journey like many other American adults, after his daughter Noreen registered for youth soccer. He started coaching Noreen in intramurals in 1977 in the Rockville Centre Soccer Club, coaching her Rockville Centre Cardinals travel team up to the Under-23 division, for the next 15 years. Mike’s other daughters, Sharon and Veronica, also played soccer but he did not coach them.
Mike also coached St. Agnes High School (just before it became Kellenberg High School) in 1986 for one year and arguably his greatest accomplishment in his brief time there was getting the Private School Girls players included in the Exceptional Senior Games that were organized by the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL).
Mike’s volunteering increased substantially when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Rockville Centre Soccer Club in the 1980’s, helping lead a period of great growth in the club, and he served as Intramural Chairperson, Travel Chairperson, Secretary, Vice President and President.
The longtime Rockville Centre resident was elected ENYYSA Treasurer in 1986 and performed this important role for over two decades. He became a member of the East Region Olympic Development Program (ODP) in 1986 and served as camp director and team administrator for the next 30 years until 2016.
Awards include being inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002 and honored as Volunteer of the Year by the East Region in 2005.
Now in his eighties, Mike has not been slowing down as he has volunteered as the ENYYSA Scholarship Chairperson since after the turn of the millennium and as Appeals Chairperson for more than a decade.
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/
