News Article
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
2ND ANNUAL ODP COLLEGE SHOWCASE TO BE HELD APRIL 26 - 28TH
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
February 13, 2013-After a successful inaugural event last spring, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that it will return to Golden Goal Park for the 2nd Annual ODP College Showcase from Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28.
ODP, or more specifically the Olympic Development Program, is considered the highest level of competition in the state. ENYYSA has been running a very successful program for decades and former ODP players such as Crystal Dunn, Cari Roccaro and Nicholas Gaitan have all used ODP as a springboard to represent the United States recently in international competition.
Beautiful Golden Goal Park is in Fort Ann, a short corner kick from Lake George, and is located at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. To keep costs down, the players and families will be staying in cabins at the scenic facility.
“The ODP College Showcase was a well-run event and there is a guaranteed high level of quality competition,” commented Karen Harlow, Vice President for ODP Development for the Vermont Soccer Association. “It’s a great opportunity for our players to be seen by college coaches as well as to learn about the college recruiting process. Golden Goal provides a unique environment of staying onsite with your team and having good fields to play on. Our players enjoyed the entire experience and we look forward to coming back this season.”
“The ODP College Showcase has quickly become an important event for ODP players and college coaches alike,” responded Dean Foti, Technical Director of the New York State West Youth Soccer Association. “For ODP players, the event provides high-level competition and a valuable team-building experience in preparation for the ODP Tournament in early June. For college coaches, the event showcases the region’s top players at a first-class soccer facility on adjacent fields. It’s a win-win situation and another way in which ODP connects kids to colleges.”
Top players born in 1996 and 1997 will be competing in front of college coaches from throughout the Northeast United States. This showcase will provide coaches, specifically collegiate and national staff, with a stage to evaluate and recruit future roster selections.
ENYYSA’s North and South ODP Teams, both boys and girls squads, will be competing against ODP teams from neighboring states. The games will be played on Friday night, April 26 plus on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28. This is purely a showcase, not a tournament, with no standings to be kept.
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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