Top 10 Reasons Over 100,000 Kids Play Soccer in Eastern New York
Besides the joy of running up and down a field while kicking a soccer ball with your friends.
Over 100,000 children and teenagers, from the East End of Long Island to the Canadian border, play soccer in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Although some have gone on to play professional soccer plus in the World Cup and Olympics, all have learned the value of teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship and getting along with others through the life lessons they have learned on our soccer fields. Here are the Top 10 Reasons why we have so many players:
1. State Cup. Eastern New York has three levels of the State Cup––State Open Cup, the ENY Presidents Cup and the Arch Cup––so every premier and travel team in Eastern New York has a chance to win a state championship. The State Open Cup and ENY Presidents Cup are single elimination while the Arch Capital Cup is group play for the first round. All three competitions try and schedule games against local opponents as much as possible. The finals of all three will be played on June 1 and 2, 2019 at Stringham Park in LaGrange as that weekend will be a celebration of New York soccer. Last year, 42 teams were crowned state champions.
2. National Championship. For ambitious teams looking to play against top competition and possibly win a national championship, they can do it through the State Open Cup as it’s part of the National Championship Series. After winning the State Open Cup, they would move on to Regionals and potentially Nationals. Or they could become a national champ through the US Youth Soccer National League. The league in New York is organized by the Eastern Development Program (EDP), which joined US Youth Soccer last year. The top teams earn advancement to the Regionals as well as a chance to earn a coveted spot in the National Tier of the Leagues Program.
3. Olympic Development Program. ODP is considered the highest level of competition in each state association. Every year, players must be re-evaluated 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 the East Region competing for a position on the regional team. Players are then identified by US Soccer staff coaches for possible entry to the national team program. Crystal Dunn is an Eastern New York ODP graduate who is playing on the US Women’s National Team yet even those players who do not make the regional or the national teams often use ODP as a springboard to college scholarships and even on to professional soccer.
4. TOPSoccer. This is a wonderful program for Children With Special Needs. Special Children playing soccer in an organized league actually started in Eastern New York back in 1978 when the Huntington Boys Club (HBC) and Massapequa Soccer Club separately started programs in an era when Special Children playing sports is not as accepted as it is today. Craig Ludin, who has Down’s Syndrome and has been playing for HBC since he was a young boy, received so many medals in the Special Olympics that he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame a decade ago. Craig’s teammate John Cronin started a very successful local business, John’s Crazy Socks, with his father Mark.
5. Futsal. Futsal is the only version of indoor soccer approved by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. Many of Brazil’s best players ever such as Pelé, Zico, Socrates, Bebeto, Ronaldinho and Marta all played a version of this 5v5 developmental game as children. The surface, ball and rules together favor ball control in small spaces and futsal is increasingly cited in the discussion on how to improve player development. New York Futsal and the Long Island Futsal League both play futsal under the Eastern New York umbrella.
6. College Scholarships. Every summer, Eastern New York awards college scholarships to help defray the cost of college for deserving high school seniors. Five Eastern New York leagues––Capital District Youth Soccer League, Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League, East Hudson Youth Soccer League, Long Island Junior Soccer League and the Staten Island Youth Soccer League––all have separate scholarship programs as well.
7. Risk Management. To protect our players, Eastern New York conducts background checks on coaches and referees before they participate in our games. They must pass this background check every two years to continue to be involved in our competitions. Eastern New York also provides awareness education to coaches, communicating information regarding field and player safety.
8. Preventing Player Injuries. Eastern New York is very pleased to prevent player injuries through the At Peak educational app that was provided to our players as well as their parents and coaches. The app delivers strength and conditioning exercises and video workouts, specific to age, gender and sport, that are designed by medical professionals for youth athletes plus has a social platform where teammates can interact, upload photos, view sports-related video content and challenge one another in trivia contests.
9. Coaching Education. Under the supervision of Eastern New York Director of Coaching Instruction Tim Bradbury, the coaching licensing curriculum provides all soccer coaches, from the beginner to the advanced, with up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge so that Eastern New York coaches can help our players develop to their full potential. Coaches can earn state and national coaching credentials plus the courses offer valuable information and current coaching trends state-wide, nationally and internationally. All courses are available in both English and Spanish.
10. SAT and ACT Prep Courses. Eastern New York provides exclusive, free access to acclaimed SAT and ACT prep courses from eKnowledge, which is normally a $250 value. These courses can be taken online or via DVD, which makes them ideal for our busy student/athletes.
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) reaches 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.
