By Anonymous (not verified), December 4, 2023
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
December 4, 2023-Ask any adult who played youth soccer what they enjoyed about it and one of the answers will almost always be about the lifelong friendships that started on soccer fields. Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) clubs recognize this and two from the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) hosted Alumni Games on November 25, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is utilized as people are home for the holiday and the weather is still conducive for outdoor soccer on Long Island. It’s a time to relive memories while kicking around a soccer ball.
The Garden City Centennial Soccer Club kicked off play in 1969 and its name comes from its first year being the 100th anniversary of the Village of Garden City. The club's Alumni Games started over two decades ago. 30 players and coaches played at Garden City Community Park, then went to Doc O’Grady’s where the food was paid for by the club.
The Rockville Centre Soccer Club was founded in 1971 and has the oldest Alumni Games of any Long Island town as they started in the mid-1960s when the graduates from South Side High School boys varsity team got together. The games have evolved into a club-run event with women playing too at Stephen Tighe Field, named after the beloved Rockville Centre coach who perished on 9/11. First the women played, then the guys. A couple dozen players and coaches had fun, then went to Kasey’s Pub afterward.
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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/