Youth soccer academies have made Nassau County a hub for talent development and opportunity, with several clubs emerging as key players within the county’s rapidly evolving soccer scene.
Prominent on the Island as a youth soccer institution is the Long Island Soccer Club.
A participant in MLS NEXT, it represents a significant upgrade for young players compared to other academies. The club offers travel opportunities and incorporates game analysis into youth training sessions.
George O’Malley, technical director at LISC, said, “Working with MLS NEXT has just completely raised the bar for our players. Each gameday, we’re going around the country competing with the best of the best,” O’Malley said. The organization maintains several age groups, allowing talent from across Long Island at all ages to compete at a high level.
Players and their families attribute the MLS NEXT affiliation to having brought a heightened level of visibility and competitiveness to the region.
“The affiliation gives kids something they’ve never really had before–national exposure, “O’Malley said, “we’ve got professional scouts from colleges and clubs coming to games. Doors are opening that weren’t open before.”
The coaching staff at LISC emphasizes developing skills and character on and off the field to prepare and qualify young athletes for opportunities at the collegiate and professional levels.
Aside from these premier institutions and professional goals, it would be hard to separate the soccer roots of Nassau County from its community-based initiatives.
SUSA Academy, a large youth soccer organization on the Island, continues its efforts to expand and offer more opportunities throughout the region. Their training centers extend from Smithtown all the way to the South Shore.
John Burke, Boys Jr. Academy Director with SUSA, said, “Every new field we open creates more opportunities.” SUSA has its eyes not only on Nassau, but greater Long Island as a whole. “We want more training slots, more teams, more communities with access to quality development,” Burke said.
Specifically, SUSA coaches mention that they have access to “one of the deepest player pools” within the Northeast region. The fact that SUSA operates on a year-round schedule with an expanding boys and girls program contributes significantly to it sending an impressive number of players to colleges on athletic scholarships.
At the core of soccer culture on Long Island rests the Long Island Junior Soccer League, which is among the country’s biggest and oldest youth soccer leagues. It has been opening doors for generations of soccer enthusiasts on Long Island with its recreational, developmental, and travel leagues that currently serve thousands of young participants.
Director EJ Schwarz said, “The league has lasted because it adapts. We’re not just sitting still; we’re continually improving our coaching education, holding training sessions, and engaging with local communities. We’re staying relevant.”
Warm weekends in Nassau are often filled with action from the LIJSL league, as local clubs in Garden City, Farmingdale, Massapequa, and Hicksville help develop feelings of camaraderie, which are vital for the soccer scene as a whole.
“You can walk onto any field on a weekend and see why it’s endured,” Schwarz said. “boys, girls, families. The league really is its own community.”
Nassau will also expand as a soccer destination with the addition of The Island FC, a professional soccer organization based in the US and affiliated with USL League One. It will start competing as soon as its permanent stadium is built.
The stadium, located near the Nassau Hub, will feature approximately 2,500 seats and will be the first professional soccer venue at the county level. Renderings of the new stadium feature a soccer-specific venue with an intimate atmosphere designed to immerse fans.
With a clear emphasis on recruiting locally, executives are hopeful that young soccer enthusiasts will have an opportunity to transition from youth leagues to professional soccer without ever leaving Long Island.
Matthew Figueroa is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
