Howard Rubenstein gave years of service to ENYYSA. (Photo courtesy of ENYYSA)

Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association awarded longtime volunteer and soccer lifer Howard Rubenstein with yet another high honor on Saturday.

Rubenstein received the organization’s Distinguished Service Award and a standing ovation at Eastern New York’s Hall of Fame Banquet at Marina del Rey in the Bronx, N.Y.

The banquet celebration ENYYSA’s 50th anniversary.

Rubenstein’s name keeps coming up in the history of the ENYYSA and Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association.

In fact, the Eastern New York name comes from Rubenstein. As new leagues were created, the youth and adult associations started admitting clubs north of Albany. It’s original name of Southern New York was obviously no longer appropriate. Since our geographic area now encompassed clubs from Long Island to the Canadian border east of Route I-81 (which connects Binghamton and Syracuse), in 1984, Rubenstein and the incoming president Peter Masotto, changed the name to the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. Rubenstein and Costas Mallios made the same name change from Southern New York to Eastern New York with the adults in 1988.

Rubenstein served as ENYYSA president from 1980-84 and as vice president of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League in the late 1980’s and before becoming reasurer of the Eastern New York adults. In the early 1990’s, Rubenstein and Alfonso Mondelo were in charge of the Eastern New York coaching. Rubenstein was also in charge of referees serving as State Youth Referee Administrator for a decade around the turn of the millennium and he had three tours of duty as State Referee Administrator after that.

Rubenstein is a member of the Halls of Fame of Eastern New York, the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association and the Long Island Junior Soccer League.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.