Human Interest

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

February 29, 2024-The State Cup of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) kicks off this weekend and our 10 leagues will be starting their seasons in March and April, depending on weather and field availability. I would like to highlight a small gesture, which I see in only some of the games I officiate, that could make the Spring Season go much better for your team.

When I see a coach greet the opposing coach before the game, I know that the match is most likely going to go well. Even better if the coaches can talk for a few minutes. If nobody has done this, then the home coach should go over and welcome the visiting coach and players to the field.

Yes, I know that coaches and trainers before the match are busy sorting out who is at the field, who is still coming, putting the players through their warm-ups, etc. But there must be a few minutes to spare to talk to the opposing coaches. The attitude of the players and their parents feed off what their coach does as the coach is a role model for his or her team.

I kept a log of the games that I refereed last year and there were five times more yellow and red cards in games where coaches had no interaction before the game with one another compared to coaches shaking hands (at the very least) as the match started.

And who knows, if you talk to the opposing coach, you might have made a new friend.

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/

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

February 27, 2024-The reasons for becoming a ref in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) are as diverse as the personalities of our approximately 3,000 referees and assistant refs.

“25 years ago, I was with my sons at a tournament and in-between their games, I walked around the complex. What caught my attention was the complete lack of female referees. There were plenty of girls’ games going on but no women officiating their games or any other games. With intense curiosity and a desire to someday being there for young girls, I researched and found a referee course,” Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA) President Cathy Caldwell explained, “Each week, refereeing became a little better thanks to encouragement from other refs and a willingness to learn by watching others. 90% of the time, I love refereeing!”

“There were not many young referees and I wanted to change how refereeing was perceived. The other reason was, of course, I loved being around the game. Nothing makes me happier than playing, refereeing and watching soccer. Making money while doing it is just a secondary benefit,” said up-and-coming ref Jared Sparks. “Lastly, I’ve always been the quiet, shy kid. I remember when I first began reffing, I was timid and lacked confidence in my own ability. Now I am confident, and feel like a leader on the pitch. Although it’s taken a decent amount of time to grow into the person I am today, refereeing each game has brought me more confidence and certainty in myself.”

LISRA Recording Secretary Jean-Marie Maio stated, “I became a ref through the Genesis program. Every Long Island Junior Soccer League club sent a parent to become a ref. If a referee did not show up for a game, we would therefore be able to ref. I stuck with it and have been officiating for the past 18 years.”

“I became a referee when my playing and coaching career was over,” Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL) President Paul Bascomb said. “I love being a ref as a way to stay current with the players, coaches and parents. I’ve been doing it long enough that I have earned the respect of almost everyone.”

Longtime ref Rich Ceonzo stated, “I was an assistant coach for my son’s Under-9 team when an official ignored an opposing player who was 10 yards in an offside position during a direct free kick. He said, ‘You cannot be offside on a free kick,’ which I knew is not true. That’s when I decided if that was the level of refereeing available for local kids, I could certainly do better so I became a ref!”

“One of my co-workers was a ref and asked me to become a referee too. He told me that I should learn the rules. I thought that I have been playing soccer my whole life, never really liked the refs and I know the rules already. He said that he thought the same about the rules until taking the referee certification course. The course showed me that I did not know the rules either and was winging it based on what I experienced as a player,” New York Soccer Referees Association (NYSRA) President Kami Riazi explained. “After refereeing my first game, I was hooked. Soccer refereeing has been the best thing that I ever did and has given me a passion in life that I am grateful for!”

Interested in joining Cathy, Jared, Jean-Marie, Paul, Rich, and Kami 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

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 nine 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/

By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

It has always struck me as a little odd when clubs or leagues tell me that they struggle to find youth coaches. I cannot begin to imagine a life without coaching. Please find below the Top 10 Great Things About Being a Soccer Coach.

1. The smiles and joy you will see on the kids’ faces as you create fun and challenging environments for them to learn and play in.

2. The personal growth you see in kids as they learn to handle challenge, disappointment and some success and the joy you get in being there to support them.

3. The joy and pride you see in the parents’ faces as they watch their child learn and develop as players and teammates.

4. The pride you feel as you bump into kids you taught to play in years to come and they smile and thank you for the great times and memories the team gave them.

5. Your own growth as a teacher as you self-reflect on all the varied situations you have had to deal with while maintaining self-control.

6. The lifelong friendships you will develop with both the coaches that you work with and the parents of the kids you coach.

7. The extra step and zest for life that comes from the increased level of activity that being physically active as a coach will bring.

8. The pure pride and joy knowing that you helped lots of kids develop a love of sport for life and how much a healthy life will benefit your players.

9. The great memories that you and your family have from the games you will play and the places that you will get to see.

10. The unforgettable and stirring emotions as you see how strong the bonds are of the team you develop and how the group forge friendships for life.

I really cannot imagine how empty my life may have been if I had not been lucky enough to start on my journey as youth coach. If you’re interested in becoming a youth soccer coach but unsure how to get started, contact me here.

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 nine 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/

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 23, 2024-I have been the Public Relations Director of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) for over a decade but I was a referee long before that. Taking up the whistle when I was 16 years old in 1978, I’ve officiated for the past 46 years. Here are my Top 10 Great Things About Being a Soccer Referee:

1. Refereeing looks good on a resume, particularly if you just graduated from college. When I graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1984, I thought that I was going to set the advertising world on fire (which never actually worked out exactly that way). But first, I needed to obtain my first job and had a problem filling up one page on a resume with such little experience. So I added refereeing to the bottom. Turns out there was an entry-level opening at Manhattan ad agency Sudler & Hennessey, I sent my resume, the boss showed it to a Regional Referee there who told him, “Hire Randy. Refereeing at such a young age shows maturity.”

2. You learn to remain calm at all times, even if everybody else is negative and upset. Being calm is a very good personality trait to have.

3. You start speaking in foreign languages. The more foreign language words you can speak on the field, the less dissent you will receive in that tongue as players and coaches will be unsure what you understand and what you don’t.

4. You earn good money. Although for nearly every ref in the United States, refereeing is our avocation but the extra money earned from officiating is very nice.

5. You learn that it’s not about you but about them (the players). And this is a wonderful attitude to have. Referring just above to #4, those who make it about the other person and not themselves will always find work, even much more so than the people who are solely focused on making a living.

Michael Blackton photo of Randy refereeing the South Shore Bulldogs

6. You learn to manage people. Another thing that is so helpful for that weekend referee earning a living from Monday to Friday as he or she can transfer the items learned in managing players, coaches and even officiating colleagues to the corporate world.

7. You are your own boss and go directly to the customer. There are no intermediaries whatsoever, you sink or swim based on how you do, and you also decide when you can ref in working with assignors.

8. You get (or stay) fit. I have to do a great deal of cardiovascular training, particularly now at 61 years old, to continue to be able to stay up with much younger players in running up and down a soccer field. My Primary Care Physician looked at my excellent blood results and said, “Keep refereeing.”

9. You expand yourself by leaving your comfort zone. Where there is a risk, there is often a reward. In every game officiated, refs leave their comfort zone as they could be confronted by unhappy players, coaches and spectators. Yet thankfully, this does not happen in the majority of games. There is much reward and satisfaction in sticking to it and working with players and coaches in producing a fair and controlled game.

10. You meet the greatest people. So many are my friends, including my closest friends, are players, coaches and fellow referees. Seemingly every few weeks, I am warmly stopped on the street by somebody who remembers that I refereed their game when they played way back when, often calling me by my name, and it feels great to be remembered and know that I have made a positive difference in a person’s life.

Why don’t you consider becoming a ref in 2024? 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

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 nine 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/