Contributed photo
Local officials and Douglas W. Rae (third from right) at Founder's Day event.
The following writeup was submitted by Ellen Doon and Mike Galbicsek of the New Haven Youth Soccer league.
On Saturday, Nov. 4, over a hundred people gathered at East Shore Park to celebrate 40 years of youth soccer in New Haven. Members of New Haven Youth Soccer, along with several city and state officials, came together for the league’s first “Founder’s Day” event. The event honors Dr. Douglas W. Rae, Professor Emeritus in the Yale School of Management, who founded New Haven Youth Soccer in the early 1980s.
The festivities kicked off with a performance by the Hillhouse High School marching band, followed by a soccer demonstration from the recreation program and a brief ceremony with speakers including State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, State Representative Al Paolillo, and New Haven Alders Salvatore Punzo, Salvatore DeCola, Anna Festa (a current parent in the program), and Eli Sabin (an alumnus of New Haven Youth Soccer). Alder Adam Marchand, also a current parent in New Haven Youth Soccer, emceed the event.
The celebration focused on the announcement that the East Shore Park soccer fields will be named the Douglas W. Rae Youth Soccer Complex, in honor of the founder of New Haven Youth Soccer.
Dr. Rae was in attendance, and spoke about his experience and the growth of the organization over the years. Senator Looney, Rep. Paolillo, and several alders spoke about the benefits of youth sports, Dr. Rae’s longstanding commitment to the city, and his vision in establishing an organization in which players from all backgrounds can develop as members of the community through mentoring, teamwork, and friendship.
NHYS is a great organization that does so much good for New Haven kids. Kudos to Doug Rae for "kicking off" something to special. What a lovely way to honor him and ensure that youth soccer in New Haven has a homebase.