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Three teenagers were honored with Long Island Soccer Referee Association scholarships at its most recent meeting at the Copiague Fire Dept. in Copiague, N.Y. on June 12.
From left to right: LISRA president Cathy Caldwell, Joseph Fallon, Gracie Sanders, Magdalena Law, LISRA scholarship chairperson Jean-Marie Maio. (Photo courtesy of Eastern New York)
Three teenagers were honored with Long Island Soccer Referee Association scholarships at its most recent meeting at the Copiague Fire Dept. in Copiague, N.Y. on June 12.
They were:
They were selected through their resume, essay and three recommendations from three different areas of their lives, such as a coach, clergy and teacher. The LISRA scholarship program was launched in 1981, a decade after LISRA’s founding. It has always been open to LISRA referees and children of referees.
Jean-Marie Maio, chairperson of the LISRA scholarship committee and selected the 2023 administrator of the year by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, stated, “I love reading the scholarship applications as it’s so great what our kids do with not just soccer but schoolwork and music.”
The LISRA 1,176 registered referees and assistant referees last spring. The LISRA meeting also had a changing of the guard as longtime LISRA president Cathy Caldwell is retiring from referee administrative work to spend more time with her family.
“It’s been a great honor to be your president for over 10 years and along with my marriage and birth of my two sons, this has also been one of the highlights of my life!” Caldwell said.
Alan Starost will become LISRA president on July 1. In the LISRA elections, Neal Smith was elected vice president, Tom Murphy secretary, Gordon Barr treasurer while Scott Abel, Eugene O’Neill and John Sengelaub will continue to serve as trustees.
Maio and Marty Foeppel are retiring from the LISRA board. The LISRA membership voted for both of them at the June meeting to receive Lifetime Membership, the LISRA equivalent of the Lifetime Achievement Award, for their many years of service to Long Island soccer.
Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 28 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.
