New Jersey ODP recently took part in the Eastern New York SubRegional Tournament in Albany, New York. This annual event brought together a range of talented youth athletes, with boys and girls teams from the 2008 to 2013 birth years competing in a weekend filled with high-level soccer. Several ODP State Associations were represented at the event, including Eastern New York, New York West, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and New Jersey.
“We wanted to put together another tournament to prepare for the ID tournament and give our kids and our neighbor’s kids a second chance to be identified. We have been lucky enough to have states like NJ, Mass, CT, NH, NYW and ME to support us,” said Jim Volpe, Eastern New York ODP Director. “We made it as affordable as possible. We just wanted to give the kids one more opportunity. The moral to the story is we can do anything if we all work together. It has been my privilege and pleasure to work with all of you on this event.”
The Eastern New York SubRegional offered valuable match experience, allowing players to showcase their abilities in a competitive environment and further their development in preparation for future ODP events.
“Having competition at the ODP level allows the NJ ODP players to learn and develop individually in a good team setting,” added Auke Wiersma, NJYS ODP Training Director. “To have the opportunity to play with and against players at those excellent levels surely makes the players better. They can bring the experiences back to their clubs, making ODP an invaluable part of their and others’ soccer and life development.”
New Jersey Youth Soccer and New Jersey ODP would like to extend their gratitude to Eastern New York ODP for their hospitality and for organizing such a well-run tournament. We also want to thank the dedicated players, families and coaches who made the trip to Albany and made it such a rewarding weekend.