New Player in Town: A Soccer Club Joins The Community

It was not long ago that the North Shore United Soccer Association scored its nonprofit status, secured some permits and got Port Washington youths out on the field doing what they love – playing soccer.

The NSUSA has grown since its official inception about a year ago. “We didn’t really expect to become bigger, to become anything outside of the original 15 kids who were playing with us,” said cofounder Alex Fridman, who is an ex-professional soccer player from the former Soviet Union, a trainer, and above all, a parent.

From last July to September, the organization grew from 15 participants to 30; then, from September 2010 to January 2011, the group had 45 players. Most recently, from this past January through April, it boasted 70 members, Fridman said.

“Percentage-wise, it was a very high growth,” he pointed out. Most of the children who participate are 8 or 9 years old, but there are children ages 4 to 10 throughout the organization.

“We keep asking ourselves, why are we growing so quick,” Fridman said. “Everyone in our program simply says, ‘You’re doing such a great job with the kids that they want to come back and play with you.’ ”

Aside from Fridman, Julio Orrego cofounded and helps run the North Shore United Soccer Association. Orrego does “most of the coaching and field operation,” which includes preparing the soccer field, goals and equipment, Fridman explained.

Fridman attributes a lot of the program's growth to reaching out to the Hispanic population. "We recognize there are a lot of Hispanic kids who love to play soccer, who grew up in the soccer culture, but they don’t even know about opportunities," Fridman pointed out, referring to other local venues. 

In particular, he noted, those families without computers miss out on the chance to sign their children up for clubs, which strongly encourage online registration. 

Yet the program's popularity was spread through word of mouth, he added. “That’s how the program grew. People heard about it through the schools and other organizations in town,” Fridman said.

The soccer association sent a bilingual flyer to be distributed throughout the school district, Fridman said.

“A lot of Hispanic families don’t have a computer – they don’t know how to use it, they don’t have email. Our flyers are bilingual," Fridman said, pointing to the efforts to reach the Hispanic community. “All of a sudden, we discovered a whole new possibility to identify the players and bring the information to the families who would not have received it through established mass media.”

In addition, some members of the club’s management are “tightly involved with [the] local Hispanic community, speak the language and also involved with local Hispanic soccer culture on all level from youth to adults,” he said. These connections helped to draw additional players.

With that, the North Shore United Soccer Association took off. The league has two programs: one is an instructional program for young children and entry level players, and the other is a travel program.

This past spring, the travel team took to the road for a few soccer matches, Fridman said. “It’s not super competitive. Winning is not necessary – it’s not as important as maintaining a good, fun environment,” he explained. “We have a lot of competitive kids who want to win. Our job with the travel team is basically to find a balance between the competitiveness and winning, and learning the team spirit.”

The soccer league practices two times a week and scrimmages on Saturdays on the upper field at .

In July, the league is going to “continue the same schedule based on how many people are in town for the summer,” Fridman said.

The North Shore United Soccer Association does charge fees, which are in the process of being revised. However, Fridman said fees would remain less than those of neighboring soccer clubs.

“We want everyone who wants to play, to play, regardless of your financial situation,” he added.

For more information about the North Shore Soccer United Association, visit the league’s Facebook page, send an email to nsufcsoccer@gmail.com, or call Alex Fridman at 917-325-0907.