By Anthony Pugliese
Football or more commonly known in the United States as soccer, was invented in England in the mid-19th century. Soccer is a competitive game played by men and women around the world and is undoubtedly Europe’s most popular sport. It is making its way to America’s top spot as well. From children to adults, the tradition of soccer’s rich history is enjoyed by all. As for Long Island, the Long Island Rough Riders are a soccer club who have been keeping the sport alive since 1994.
The Rough Riders soccer club is one of the oldest soccer franchises in the United States. When the Rough Riders came into existence they were solely a professional team. It was not until years later that the club focused on youth development as well. Rough Riders conduct several outreach programs including camps, private training sessions, clinics and even birthday parties. Within the past 10 years, the soccer club has shown a tremendous increase in developing their own players.
The players reflect off of the experienced, dedicated and stellar coaching staff and chief operating officer Flavio Ferri is a model character for what this club and staff represents.
Originally from Brazil where his love for the game was born, Ferri’s parents immigrated to the United States and his love for soccer continued. He played throughout his youth and eventually went on to play in college and professionally for the Rough Riders, the United States Olympic team and was drafted into the MLS.
“After playing days were winding down I took an interest in coaching and I’ve been coaching at various levels for about 15 years now,” said Ferri.
The Rough Riders coaching staff is one with the athlete. The staff realizes that while learning
mistakes will be made, the development of “being the best you can be” is familiar within this club. The positive environment is emphasized by their coaching staff, there are several steps that are taken to improve the overall grades of the players.
“It is more of the environment that we focus in on. Some of those points are making sure that the players are not afraid of making a mistake, we encourage creativity,” said Ferri. “We focus in a lot of the players’ overall comfort with the ball. We really focus on individual player development especially at the younger ages.”
The Rough Riders are based out of Plainview, but each season the teams are leaving their imprint on any field they step onto. The Rough Riders strive to identify and relate themselves to established clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea and the brand has a presence within the Long Island soccer community.
“The Rough Riders have over 20 years of being in the community. We provide a structured club in the area and if someone wants a certain type of program they can look to us,” said Ferri. “Overall, from the Rough Riders team that plays in the Premier Development League down to their youth academy and premier teams are a model of consistency.“
Ferri also enjoys seeing his athletes develop not just on the field, but overall as human beings, and Winger Michele Grelle from Glen Cove is a prime example of that.
Grelle started his career at a young age with the Rough Riders, until he took his talents to the collegiate level at Duke University. Afterwards, the young star went on to play professional soccer and currently plays for the New York Red Bulls.
“Just having played some role in their development seeing them as grown men or women and doing well in life it’s gratifying,” said Ferri. “Credit goes to them, but if me or the organization played some small part, that’s what it’s all about.”
Division I and professional athletes moving up the ranks in the Rough Riders club is not something new. Such as center back Tom Wharf, who is one of the marquee players on the Rough Riders PDL team. Wharf has been with the team since 2011 after his career at the University of Connecticut.
“Personnel of players are at high levels and that was very attractive from a players stand point,” said Wharf, who was also given the opportunity to coach as well. “The men’s team and league was a big attraction consisting of many top players, but I wanted to stay around the game and coach. The Rough Riders gave me that opportunity.”
The Long Island Rough Riders are a year-round club that exceeds expectations with more than a 20-year span as a soccer franchise. The men’s and women’s teams are continuously growing and striving to better their remarkable history.
For those interested in joining or learning more, visit www.liroughriders.com.
