On February 5, 2021 John R. Galli, a former member of the New York State West Youth Soccer Association (NYSWYSA) Board of Directors (BOD) passed away. Besides being a huge loss to his family and friends, the state soccer community lost a key supporter, organizer, administrator and leader. 

John was very actively involved in youth soccer. He held positions in the Vestal Youth Soccer Association, was a founding member of FC Broome Premier Travel Club, and a past Vice President of the NYSWYSA, a position which he held for many years. His leadership and organization of the NYSWYSA State Cup set the tone and laid the groundwork for this competition to become an annual premier showcase State Association event.

In recognition and to pay tribute to him for all he contributed to the game he loved, the NYSWYSA BOD voted unanimously to change the name of the US Youth Soccer Volunteer of the Year Award to become the US Youth Soccer John R. Galli NYSWYSA Volunteer of the Year Award.

NYW ODP players will participate in their first event of the outdoor season on Sunday, April 25th in the Albany area. NYW will play in the inaugural Eastern New York (ENY) ODP Sub-Regional against the ODP teams from ENY-South and ENY-North. The player identification process is under way for selection to the ODP State Team, ODP East Region Pool/Team and the ODP National Pool/Team. The ENY Sub Regional which will take place at Afrim’s Sports Park (Colonie, NY) for the ’03-’08 girls and boys and at Afrim’s Sports Dome (Latham, NY) for the ’09 girls and boys. Following this event, NYW ODP players will continue to train throughout the month of May in preparation for the ODP Tournament where they will face off against ODP state teams from around the northeast. This year’s ODP Tournament will be held on June 4-6th in Kirkwood, DE for the ‘03 – ‘08 girls and boys and in Pittsville, MD for the ‘09 girls and boys. Good Luck NYW ODP!

Completing registration within the club website does not ensure coverage for players. They must be registered with NYSW as well.

Questions about insurance coverage? The webinar recording and slides from our presentation in September can be found here. 

Contact pwhitcomb@nywysa.org with any questions.

US Youth Soccer (USYS) is proud to announce that Bradenton-Sarasota, on Florida’s West Coast, has been selected to host the 2021 US Youth Soccer National Championships, July 20-25, 2021.

Given the challenges faced due to COVID, USYS has worked

collaboratively with the Bradenton-Sarasota area representatives to move the elite-level competition to the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

NYSWYSA will be offering an exclusive shopping event with Dick's Sporting Goods on April 30 - May 3, 2021. Get ready for the upcoming soccer season with 20% off your entire purchase. The coupon will be shared in the coming weeks.

Some young athletes define themselves by their limitations, saying “I’m shorter than most basketball players,” “I’m not as fast as other players on the soccer field,” or “I don’t have enough speed on my fastball to play college baseball.”

When young athletes focus on limitations or weaknesses, they undermine their practice and performance. Size, ability and strength are valuable attributes but are not the game-changing factors that make athletes elite. 

Recent statistics indicate that 95% of male and 85% of female athletes report higher stress than 52% of non-athlete students.

A report published by the American Psychological Association said that adolescents between 15-21 are the MOST stressed-out people in this country.

Recent studies indicate that as many as one in five teens suffers from clinical depression