Eastern NY Youth Soccer Association

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Press Release

Frankie Pampin Selected as the National Boys Competitive Coach of the Year

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

February 27, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very proud to announce that Frank Pampin, our 2022 Boys Competitive Coach of the Year, has been named the 2025 US Youth Soccer National Boys Competitive Coach of the Year. In 2022, the Jackson Heights resident also received Regional Boys Competitive Coach of the Year so National honors complete a rare trifecta.

Frankie took over the Boys-Under-10 Gunners Soccer Kids team in the fall of 2020. It was a low-income team with few resources at the time yet Frankie made an impact right away with the boys by teaching them fundamentals. He received no pay for coaching that team and, now known as the Long Island Slammers, he has led them to two State Open Cup championships (2023, 2025), two East Region championships (2023, 2025) and the US Youth Soccer National Pro League Championship (2024). In the 2025 Regionals, the Slammers outscored their opponents 18-0 in five games and did not concede a goal. And proving that nice guys do not finish last, the squad received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award at the 2025 State Cup finals.

Frankie in inset and with his Boys-Under-16 Long Island Slammers

The team has won division championships in the Big Apple Youth Soccer League (BAYSL), Metrokids Youth Soccer League plus the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) and they won titles in CJSL Divisions 3, 2 and 1 as they improved and took on more difficult competition. The boys did the same thing as they transitioned to the Eastern Development Program (EDP) and won titles in Division 2, then Division 1 as well as the EDP Champions Cup.

“This group has proven that when you grow organically through hard work, passion, discipline and a clear sense of purpose, anything is possible,” Frankie stated. “With commitment and belief in the process, success will always follow.”

This success was noticed and in December 2025, the Long Island Slammers announced that Frankie has been appointed their Boys Director of Coaching. Congratulations to Frankie for all these accolades!

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Becoming a Soccer Ref Could Be One of the Best Decisions You Ever Make!

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

March 4, 2026-There are many wonderful things that happen when a person starts to ref youth soccer games including earning money, learning to manage people, learning more about the game, staying or becoming fit, expanding yourself by leaving your comfort zone as well as meeting the greatest people on soccer fields, including your new officiating colleagues.

The growth in programs of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has created a continuous need for more soccer referees. Our certified referees and assistant refs are expected to handle 80,000 assignments in 2026, when the World Cup will also be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico, which should increase the popularity of soccer even further.

Eastern New York is seeking new referees to be in the middle and/or on the line as assistant referees in youth soccer games. The minimum age is 14 years old to become certified. You manage your availability so officiating works with all the rest that you do!

For more information, click here. 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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Geoff Davis Inducted Into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

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

February 9, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that longtime volunteer Geoff Davis has been inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at our Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

Geoff grew up in the Bronx, came to Oneonta State as a student in 1965 and never left the area. He taught physical education at Oneonta State for 40 years.

Like many other families, his introduction to organized soccer came when his kids, Alexis and Zachary, started playing.

In 1989, he took up the whistle as a soccer referee and is still officiating today. He’s refereed youth games, adults and high school games but stopped officiating college games over a decade ago. Geoff is President of the Oneonta Soccer Referees Association plus Secretary/Treasurer of the Delaware-Ostego High School Officials. Additionally, he’s a referee instructor and assessor.

In the early 1990’s, Geoff served as President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Oneonta Soccer Club, then became Registrar and Treasurer of the Mid-State New York Soccer League. Geoff always made the lengthy trip south to attend ENYYSA meetings.

After serving as Mid-State’s Registrar for 25 years, Geoff left that role a few years ago for a new one as the league’s Referee Retention Coordinator.

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Felicia Sheehan Honored as the Eastern New York Administrator of the Year

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

From left to right: ENYYSA Hall of Fame Chairperson Ken Gulmi, Felicia Sheehan, HVYSL President Chris Decker

February 4, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that Felicia Sheehan of the Eastern Pike Youth Soccer Club was honored as our 2025 Administrator of the Year. As Eastern Pike is in Pennsylvania but plays in the Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League (HVYSL), Felicia is the first non-New Yorker to receive one of our Of the Year Awards. 

The ceremony took place at our Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

The club wrote that “Felicia has magic powers when it comes to the Got Sport registration platform, and she uses it for good at the local club level and in her role as league registrar for HVYSL. Felicia is always there for other clubs with questions about registering players, submitting rosters and sorting out issues. She takes her personal time to help because her goal is making sure kids get to play.

Felicia has also served on the Delaware Valley School District school board, which is far from a small volunteer role, over the last several years! She also helps with the Eastern Pike recreational soccer program on Sundays and volunteers with the boosters for whichever teams her kids have been on.”

Felicia was previously honored as the 2025 HVYSL Administrator of the Year on November 8, 2025.

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Rebecca Palmatier Selected as the Eastern New York Volunteer of the Year

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

February 5, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Highland United’s Rebecca Palmatier was honored as our 2025 Volunteer of the Year at our Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

From left to right: ENYYSA Hall of Fame Chairperson Ken Gulmi, Rebecca Palmatier, HVYSL President Chris Decker

Rebecca was also honored as the 2025 Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League (HVYSL) Volunteer of the Year on November 8. 

Highland United FC Board member Daniel Navins wrote that “Rebecca grew up playing for Highland United and has been a leading force to rebuild our club from a tiny skills clinic-based operation into a full recreational league that serves players as young as two all the way up to 12…

Rebecca is always giving of her time and energy into our club program and soccer as a whole. Her consistent message in coaching her players is to ‘Be a Good Person First.’ This drive to instill values, ethics and leadership improves our community in multiple ways. Many of her players volunteer with Highland United as support coaches and trainers for our youngest players. Rebecca also serves as a support coach for the program as well assisting in planning our curriculum for each age group. You can also find Rebecca and the players she has coached take on continued volunteer efforts in our community.”

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Hannah Stahl Honored as the Eastern New York Young Female Referee of the Year

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

February 8, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very proud to announce that Hannah Stahl has been honored as our 2025 Young Female Referee of the Year. The ceremony took place at Eastern New York’s Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

Hannah is a Walden resident who started refereeing three years ago. 

“Since that time, Hannah has blossomed into one of the Hudson Valley’s most improved and youthful referees,“ commented Hudson Valley Soccer Referee Association (HVSRA) President Brian Baer. “She has participated in multiple indoor and outdoor tournaments in our area. Due to her improvements on and off the field, Hannah was selected to officiate the 2025 State Cup finals, as referee for the Girls-Under-13 championship match and fourth official for the Girls-Under-14 final. We see a bright future for Hannah.”

She is a senior and student body president at Valley Central High School, plays two sports—soccer and lacrosse––and was selected to the All-Section girls soccer team for Section 9. She volunteers her time coaching 4- and 5-year-old players for the Orange County Soccer Club and plans to major in elementary education in college.

From left to right: State Referee Administrator Joe Brosi, US Youth Soccer Chairperson Tina Rincon, Hannah Stahl, State Youth Referee Administrator Cheryl Aronson

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Jules Mehmet Honored as the Eastern New York Young Male Referee of the Year

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

February 8, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very proud to announce that Jules Mehmet has been honored as our 2025 Young Male Referee of the Year. 

The ceremony took place at Eastern New York’s Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

From left to right: US Youth Soccer Chairperson Tina Rincon, Jules Mehmet, ENYYSA 2nd Vice President Bill Smith

Jules is a 15-year-old Manhattan resident who started refereeing three years ago. He started off with Under-6 and Under-7 recreational games and is now a member of the New York Soccer Referees Association (NYSRA).

NYSRA First Vice President Harris Rasheed wrote that “Jules serves as an inspiring example of dedication and achievement within the US Soccer Referee community. His approach to officiating retains the perspective gained through years as a player, consistently applying lessons and values from the field to his role as a referee. His time spent with referees at all levels, notably guided by mentors such as Arthur ‘Chip’ Reed, has been integral to his rapid development and unwavering enthusiasm for the role… 

A hallmark of his career is his dedication to community involvement. Since first picking up a whistle, he continues to referee, coach and volunteer for the local recreational league where his journey began. Jules ensures time for refereeing early morning youth matches each weekend, demonstrating his genuine commitment to Grassroots soccer. Beyond officiating, he is active in helping organize his team’s logistics and uniform distribution, and eagerly participates in training and educational sessions, often as the sole youth participant among adults.”

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Ella Schwartz Honored as the Eastern New York TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer AssociationFebruary 7, 2026-The 

Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Ella Schwartz of the Plainview/Old Bethpage Soccer Club was honored as our 2025 TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year. 

TOPSoccer, The Outreach Program for Soccer, is for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical challenges, all under the US Youth Soccer umbrella. 

The ceremony took place at Eastern New York’s Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

From left to right: US Youth Soccer Chairperson Tina Rincon, Ella Schwartz, ENYYSA 2nd Vice President Bill Smith

Longtime club volunteer Peter Chavkin wrote in his nominating letter that “Ella was an active member of the Plainview/Old Bethpage Soccer Club since she was 4 and joined TOPS when she was 13. TOPS has taught her how to listen and patiently guide children with challenges. This is a rare talent for Ella to possess, yet she has it in abundance. Ella started working one-on-one with the youngest players to learn the program, and then she transitioned to working with the older, more physical players, teaching them advanced skills.

She is so skilled and caring that she is now responsible for teaching new trainers how to work with the players, showcasing how to communicate with children who barely speak and how to introduce more advanced teachings at the right time. She does this while being in charge of multiple players as well.”

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Eastern New York Honors Bob Kinney as Our 2025 TOPSoccer Coach of the Year

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer AssociationFebruary 6, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is proud to announce that the Smithtown Kickers’ Robert Kinney was honored as our 2025 TOPSoccer Coach of the Year at our Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, January 24 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx. 

TOPSoccer, The Outreach Program for Soccer, is for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical challenges, all under the US Youth Soccer umbrella.

From left to right: US Youth Soccer Chairperson Tina Rincon, Bob Kinney, ENYYSA 2nd Vice President Bill Smith

The Smithtown Kickers’ Ernesto Cabello wrote that “Bob started volunteering 13 years ago with the Smithtown Kickers TOPSoccer. He has elevated and expanded our TOPSoccer program by increasing the original Saturday program both in number of players and buddies over the last dozen-plus years. The players have increased from 15-20 to more than 60 registered players and the buddies have increased from around 20 to over 70-80 available buddies today.”

Bob coached his team to the gold medal at the 2021 Special Olympics, financed a summer camp, initiated indoor training in the winter and held many training sessions with Sachem. The TOPSoccer players that he coaches reach their potential under Bob’s positive guidance. 

He also coached two of his children from intramurals all the way up to travel soccer while they were in high school and he has been selected as the Smithtown Kickers’ Volunteer of the Year in the past.

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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/