Klaus Mueller Appointed State Referee Administrator in Eastern New York
New York Youth Soccer News: The man who has been involved in officiating for nearly four decades is now in charge of all officials in Eastern New York
Longtime referee Klaus Mueller has been named State Referee Administrator (SRA) in Eastern New York. In this role, Klaus––along with State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA) Ray Wolfe––is in charge of the thousands of referees who officiate in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), from Long Island to the Canadian border.
Klaus grew up playing soccer in Schwabach, Germany, a Bavarian town near Nuremberg. He emigrated to the United States in 1960 and returned to Nuremberg as a member of the United States military from 1963 to ’67. It was there that he met his wife Eleonore.
After coming back to the United States, Klaus became Commissioner of the Midget Division of the Island Trees Soccer Club in 1980, the same year that he became a referee. In 1982, the Levittown resident was elected Vice President of Island Trees, a position he held for the next 25 years. He also served as Island Trees’ referee supervisor and coach of the women’s team.
Moving up the referee ladder, Klaus became a college ref with the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA) in 1999. He was honored as the NYMISOA New Official of the Year in 2000 and received the chapter’s Dennis Botsaris Service Award in 2011.
Klaus has served as the Eastern New York referees’ State Director of Assessment (SDA) for the past 11 years before his promotion to SRA this summer. Currently, four National referees from Eastern New York––Brian Dunn, Jorge Gonzalez, JC Rivera and Robert Sibiga––officiate in Major League Soccer (MLS).
“I hope to improve our Referee Program by having more National Referees plus having a couple of FIFA Referees officiating international games,“ Klaus explained.
Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association: With over 100,000 youth soccer players–both boys and girls–and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators.
All levels of soccer are offered–from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association.
