News Article
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
ENYYSA CELEBRATES OUR RICH HISTORY
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
February 26, 2013-The Southern New York State Soccer Association was founded 100 years ago in 1913, the same year that the United States Soccer Federation was founded. Most of the soccer games back then were being played by men who had immigrated from overseas. Both of those organizations are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year as is the New York Referees Association, celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Eventually, kids in New York started playing organized soccer too. What became the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League was founded in 1933 and it is celebrating a milestone too as 2013 is its 80th anniversary. The Long Island Junior Soccer League was founded in 1966. With youth soccer starting to grow exponentially, George Donnelly and Enzo Magnozzi founded the Southern New York Youth Soccer Association in 1972 and Tony Perez became the first President. This was two years before the United States Youth Soccer Association was established in 1974.
The West Put Youth Soccer League joined Southern New York in 1974 and as it expanded its original base from Westchester and Putnam counties, the name was changed to the East Hudson Youth Soccer League when clubs from Dutchess, Ulster, Orange and Sullivan counties joined.
The Capital District Youth Soccer League was founded in 1978 and joined Southern New York the following year as both the youth and senior associations started admitting clubs from Albany and north of the state capital. “Southern New York” was no longer appropriate so in 1982, both organizations changed their name to “Eastern New York.” At that time, the great majority of the youth soccer being played was boys soccer but the US Women’s National Team changed that. When the red, white and blue won the first-ever Women’s World Cup in China back in 1991, they did it in relative obscurity. By the time they defeated China in a penalty kick shootout in the Women’s World Cup Final in front of a sellout crowd at the Rose Bowl in 1999, Mia, Brandi and Julie had become household names.
Today, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is a thriving non-profit organization with 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers from the East End of Long Island to the Canadian border. We are proud of our history and are very excited about the continued growth of the game in the United States.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 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 12 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 Special Children. 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.
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