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

March 7, 2019-St. Patrick's Day weekend will be for the wearing of the green, and also for wearing soccer uniforms, as the Spring Season of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) kicks off with the opening of the 2019 State Cup.
 
The State Open Cup, for Eastern New York's best teams, starts on March 16 and 17 with the first round. It's a single-elimination format with the second round being played on the weekend of March 30 and 31 and the third round on April 13 and 14.
 
The Arch Cup, sponsored by our friends at Arch Capital Group, are for travel teams who would not yet be competitive in the State Open Cup. It's group play in the first round so the game dates parallel those of the State Open Cup with group games being played on the weekends of March 16-17, March 30-31 and April 13-14.
 
Both competitions are single-elimination starting in May. The quarterfinals will be played on the weekend of May 4 and 5 with the semifinals on May 18 and 19.
 
All these games are played at a home field of one of the competing teams while the championship games return to a neutral site. The finals will be played at Stringham Park in LaGrange on the weekend of June 1 and 2 in what will be a celebration of New York soccer.
 
“This year should be a very exciting year for the State Open Cup with over 200 teams entering and many of them are from the EDP platform,” said State Cup chairperson Burt Wilkes. “We are trying something new for the first time by running the finals for both the State Open Cup and Arch Cup on one weekend. Also to be more user-friendly, we are giving State Open Cup teams the option to play towards a National Championship or only the State Championship.”
 
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 United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.