Andrew Seabury is the new president of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, succeeding the retirement of Anthony Maresco.
Having joined the LIJSL board in 2011 as a trustee, Seabury followed a similar path to his predecessor, first ascending to the treasurer’s position in 2013, then becoming first vice president this past February. The England native, who hails from “the red side of Manchester,” meaning he is a Manchester United fan, came to the United States 30 years ago with “just a bag of clothes and a box of cassette tapes.”
“This is an exciting opportunity to me, and really a testament to what this country is about,” he said during the virtual league general meeting Dec. 8. “I am excited to serve and continue as we all work together as partners.”
Since his arrival on “this side of the pond,” Seabury founded and built a successful international design and build firm, GTI Designs in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. which caters to the food service and retail sectors.
“Having the opportunity to work alongside Andrew over the past eight years, I’ve personally seen what a tremendous asset his business acumen, in particular his financial and general management skills, have been to our League,” LIJSL managing director Steve Padaetz said in a statement.
Andrew Seabury said the LIJSL will be governed by five key goals. (Photo courtesy of ENYYSA)
In laying out his vision to the club presidents, Seabury said the board and league will be governed by five key goals:
* Transparency – “We want to be open to everything that we do from policies, programs to operations as well as financially. This really can be done by clear communication.”
* Communication – “We are committed to always let our membership know what is going on. I think Steve Padaetz and the LIJSL team have fundamentally changed how we as a league communicate with our membership and we will continue to make this a priority going forward.”
* Financial Prudence – “As a past treasurer, obviously financial prudence has always been fundamental to us as a board to run the league. I think without some of the changes we put in process financially over these past few years, we probably could not have overcome the financial loss of the complete season that we all incurred in the spring.”
* Customer Service – “We are in the customer service business. I commit that you are our customers and we need to serve your need. That’s what we are looking to continue to do.”
* Be Proactive – “Finally, what we need to do is be the proactive league, not the reactive league. We need to get ahead of the needs of our soccer community and our goal is to lead. As a board, along with the LIJ team, we have made great progress in changing how we do things. We still have a lot to do, and we rely on your input to make us a better run league.”
Seabury, a resident of Hampton Bays, N.Y. is an active club and scholastic coach. He noted that the grass roots involvement of fellow board members has helped the league evolve over the past few years.
“At both the board, league level we are involved in the daily game at various levels,” he said. “Whether coaching, officiating or as parents on the sideline, we’re involved day-to-day. It allows us to adapt and provide some of the solutions and flexibility that you all need.”
He added, “I think we’re fully committed to serve you, our soccer community, and find solutions to your challenges, and programs that you want. In the spring, we experienced an unprecedented cancellation of the season. This past fall, under the most difficult of circumstances, we collectively pulled off the season. A real testament to all of you working together.”
Seabury also commended Maresco, who had served as president since 2015.
“First and foremost I take this opportunity to thank Anthony for his untiring service to the league. He’s been both a mentor and a friend to me personally,” he said. “Moving forward, the key message that I want to stress is continuity. I hope to be a good steward of the ideas and directions that we as a board put in motion and I’m honored with the faith and trust that the board has placed in me. I look forward to serving you all in this capacity.”
