Congratulations to Matthew Schwartz as he was honored as the Eastern New York 2011 Young Referee of the Year in a selection by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Senior Soccer Association.
The 17-year-old East Meadow resident studies at W.T. Clarke High School in Westbury. Matthew whistles top Long Island Junior Soccer League games every weekend and refereed the Arch Capital Group Challenge Cup Finals at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview last June.
"Matthew has shown character beyond his years on the field with enthusiasm for advancing through the ranks," commented State Youth Referee Administrator Ray Wolfe.
Matthew is a member of the Long Island Soccer Referees Association and their Assigning Chairperson, Nanci Apostolides, said, "Matthew is available to referee as much as possible and truly understands what refereeing is all about."
When he is not refereeing, he plays goalkeeper for the Boys-Under-17 Albertson Academy that plays in the ENYYSA Premier League.
With 120,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association 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.