New Jersey Youth Soccer Awards Dinner Attracts Top Soccer People
Few youth soccer associations have the ability to put together a high powered event like US Youth Soccer’s New Jersey Youth Soccer. Attracting all-star talent and key influencers, this annual event has a lot to celebrate.
New Jersey Youth Soccer will be hosting the 32nd Annual NJYS Awards Dinner presented by RWJBarnabas Health on Friday, January 31st, where it will honor many players, coaches and members of the soccer community. On hand to serve as emcee for the event will be 2018 NJYS Hall of Fame inductee Glenn Crooks.
“I look forward to helping NJ Youth Soccer host its Annual Awards Dinner again this year,” said Crooks who is a TV/Radio broadcaster as well as a journalist and soccer coach. “Serving as emcee last year was a great experience for me. I am excited to have the opportunity to help honor another group of teams and individuals who have contributed so much to grow the sport in New Jersey.”
Crooks currently serves as the host of The Coaching Academy on SiriusXM FC, as a Color Analyst for the BIG Ten Network and as the play-by-play radio voice for New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Crooks was chosen for induction into the NJYS Hall of Fame in 2018 due to his outstanding achievements in the coaching community, especially with the NJYS Olympic Development Program (ODP) and at the collegiate level.
A longtime New Jersey native, Crooks has generated a prolific influence on the soccer landscape at virtually every stage of the game.
Crooks began his time with New Jersey ODP in 1989, where he directed six teams to ODP Regional Championships and three teams to ODP National Championships. He is also responsible for the foundation of the collegiate soccer programs at St. Peter’s University and Long Island University of Brooklyn, as well as the interscholastic soccer program at Ridge High School. For his achievement with the latter, he was inducted into the Ridge High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
While coaching college soccer, Crooks led teams to nine overall NCAA Tournament appearances, including a pair of runs to the Sweet 16. He took over the Rutgers University Women’s Soccer Program in 2000, and he enjoyed a 13-year tenure with the Scarlet Knights.
Among the players he coached at Rutgers were two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Carli Lloyd, who is also an Ambassador for NJ Youth Soccer.
