Long Island Youth Soccer Program Leads With 'Joy And Purpose'

EAST MEADOW, NY — A Long Islander is focused on bringing soccer to the masses. Shawn Sam acquired the Soccer Stars and Amazing Athletes franchise for Long Island and Eastern Queens.

"[It's] truly an all-encompassing grassroots youth development program," Sam told Patch.

Starting with their Mommy and Me program, children as young as 1 can have fun with the soccer basics. But the main groups are for ages 12 and older, with private lessons for older teenagers.

While getting a handle on the soccer fundamentals is part of the classes, "we go a little bit beyond that," he said. "Our curriculum is really our secret sauce."

Sam, who grew up in New Hyde Park, said they use the soccer ball to "instill important life lessons, boost confidence and develop teamwork."

Soccer Stars, with franchises across the country, wanted to take their soccer footprint to Long Island. Sam, who had previously worked in the San Antonio Spurs front office, was the person to bring it to the area.

"This was my opportunity to make a local impact on athletes [who] are growing up in the area," Sam said.

Soccer Stars has Nassau County locations, which include Syosset, Port Washington and Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, which Sam calls home.

Sam said they've had a robust program in the Hamptons for more than a decade and they are planning more Suffolk County locations.

In order to make the experience as positive as possible, they keep the number of children down per class. That could mean as few as six players for one coach.

Although Sam is proud of "some of the amazing success stories" they've had in their program, "equally as successful is a child that goes through our program, and even if he or she doesn't play at the highest level, if they've developed a love of soccer and a love of sport, we've really done our job."

Whether it's a child's first time kicking a soccer ball, or their fifth season in the program, "we lead with joy and purpose," Sam said. "We want every kid to feel successful while learning."