How Playing Soccer in Italy’s Serie C Led to Gelato in Williston Park
New York Youth Soccer News: Allen Aingorn put his pro soccer dreams on ice and then opened a gelateria
Life can sometimes take you on a very sweet turn. Native New Yorker Allen Aingorn was playing professional soccer during the 2004-05 season for Como in northern Italy in Serie C, two levels below Serie A teams such as Juventus, Inter and Milan. He fell in love with gelato when he hung out at the team owner’s gelateria.
Allen eventually put his pro soccer career on ice and returned to New York, where he became a partner of Baci Gelato in Williston Park 12 years ago. This past February, he took over sole ownership of the gelateria and renamed it dei Coltelli Gelato & Sorbet to honor Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, the Sicilian chef who first popularized Italian ice cream at his Café Procope in Paris in 1686. There is a large sign in the gelateria about dei Coltelli’s life. At dei Coltelli, virtually all the ingredients, except for fresh fruit, are imported from Italy.
Dei Coltelli sponsored Nassau County Executive Cup college showcase soccer that was played at Cantiague Park on Saturday, July 22.
Allen grew up in Roslyn, playing central midfielder in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) for the Port Washington Strikers and New York Hota Bavarians, both coached by Roby Young. His New York Hota team won the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) State Open Cup in 1999.
It was then off to Penn State and later New York University, where he played for both college teams. He spent summers playing for the New York Pancyprian Freedoms of the United Soccer Leagues (USL).
Upon graduating from NYU in 2003, he went to Hungary to play for Heviz in the First Division, one level below the country’s Premier Division, then made what turned out to be a very fateful decision to play in Italy.
Since his return to New York a dozen years ago, he has played for Mineola Portuguese, Shamrock Rovers and New York Polet Over-30 of the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL). He currently is on the Cosmopolitan Soccer League’s New York Pancyprian Freedoms Over-30 team.
Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association: 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.
