By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
February 18, 2019-Indoor tournaments once dotted the winter landscape of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). That has changed with the rise of futsal league play throughout the winter.
Yet some indoor tournaments have not only survived, they have thrived. The Bob Pantaleo Memorial Tournament, run by the volunteers of the North Babylon Patriot Soccer Club, enters its milestone 40th year this winter.
“We believe our tournament has lasted this long due to the dedication and commitment of the Patriot Soccer Board and our club members,” explained North Baylon Patriot volunteer Chrissy Centrone.
The tourney’s namesake, Bob Pantaleo, was the Vice President of the Intramural Program and part of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) club for over 25 years before his passing in 2010.
“Bob was dedicated and often found helping coaches and teams on the field every weekend. Even after his kids aged out, he still went to the field to watch games,“ Centrone commented. “He was a genuine good guy with a heart of gold, always trying to do the right thing for the kids. Bob worked tirelessly to ensure all the players were placed on teams and no one was left out. We believed it was appropriate to dedicate this tournament in his name in 2011 for all he had done for the club.“
This year, 100 youth teams––coed teams at the Under-6 level plus boys and girls squads from Under-7 to Under-18––are expected to once again play in this longstanding tourney. All the fun takes place on Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1 at Robert Moses Middle School. The coed and girls teams play on Saturday while the boys play on Sunday. The games will use a futsal ball and play with modified futsal rules.
Under-6 players receive a participation trophy while team awards are given to the first and second place teams in the Under-7 on up age groups. Additionally, there are awards in each division for Best Goalkeeper, Best Defender, Best Forward and the “Toni” Award in honor of former player Toni Canceleno. This award goes to the player that never gives up and works hard every game. Toni played for the Patriot Soccer Club since she was four years old until 18. She was a team player who gave 100% every game and died of brain cancer at the age of 23.
The awards ceremony features a photo montage for each division set to music. For more info or to register, please contact Tournament Director Tina Obremski at tobremski1@gmail.com
With approximately 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/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.