Human Interest

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/