By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 9, 2016-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very proud of our Olympic Development Program (ODP). Our 1999 Boys South Team are the defending national champions plus Crystal Dunn and Allie Long used Eastern New York’s ODP as a springboard to playing on the United States Women’s National Team, currently competing at the Rio Olympics.
ODP is considered the highest level of competition in the state. Every year, players must be revaluated by the ODP professional staff of coaches for a position on each age-specific team. The identification process ends each summer with the most elite players within Region 1 competing for a position on the regional team, which is what Crystal and Allie had advanced to when they were teens. Players are then identified by US Soccer staff coaches for possible entry to the national teams program. Yet even those players who do not make the Region 1 or the national teams often use ODP as a path to college scholarships and even on to professional soccer.
Under the direction of ODP Chairperson Jim Volpe, Eastern New York has been very sensitive to geography so families can travel less than in the past.
“With our tryout schedule, most families are living within 30 miles of a tryout venue, providing easy access to ODP for the top players of New York State,“ commented ODP Chairperson Jim Volpe. “Additionally, we have instituted split training for our ODP North teams so that kids in the Albany area can train simultaneously with kids in the Hudson Valley, albeit in different venues closer to their homes, and have the players come together as one team for training when we get closer to tournaments. We believe less travel will lead to more players trying out for ODP.“
August is the month that ODP tryouts kick off and Eastern New York is happy to announce the following tryout schedule:
Saturday, August 20 in LaGrangeville
Saturday, August 20 in Staten Island
Sunday, August 21 in Bethlehem
Sunday, August 21 in Yonkers
Sunday, August 21 in Bayside
Sunday, August 21 in Flushing
Monday, August 22 in Plainview
Monday, August 29 in Plainview
For more information regarding age groups, tryout times and registration, please click on this link:
http://enysoccerodp.siplay.com/site/
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 11 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 United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.