BRONX — Capital District Youth Soccer League president Roy Pfeil was inducted into the Eastern New York Hall of Fame on Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Holiday Party at Marina del Rey Saturday.

Pfeil worked 41 years as a teacher in the Capital District, Syracuse and Finger Lakes regions and is now retired, yet he has continued teaching soccer skills. He has served on the Eastern New York coaching education instructional staff from 1978 to the present, and State ODP coaching staff beginning in 1980 and continues with ODP today. Pfeil was on the Girls Regional ODP staff coach from 1984-87 and on the Girls Under-19 U.S. youth national team training camp coaching staff and selection committee held at Eastern Michigan University in 1985.

The teams that the Mechanicville, N.Y. resident has coached have been successful, no matter the level. Pfeil started his coaching in the Capital District in 1972 as the Troy High School junior varsity coach for four years, the Shenendehowa High School boys varsity team for four years, the Schenectady varsity coach for another four years) and the Burnt Hills Boys varsity for four years). From 1980 to 1989, Pfeil was the Public High School Athletic Association Section 2 soccer chairman/coordinator for the state high school boys soccer championships.

In 1987, Pfeil became the head coach of the Hudson Valley Community College women and guided them to as high as fifth in the nation with a 32-10-1 record. He was the head coach of the University of Albany men from 1990-99, bringing the program from Division III to Division I. Despite the more difficult competition and no scholarships, Albany secured a record of 81-61-15. In his four years as a Division III coach, Pfeil’s teams earned one NCAA playoff bid in 1994 and two ECAC bids, including one championship in 1992. From 2001-09, Pfeil served as the University at Albany men’s assistant coach.

Pfeil was one of the co-founders of the CDYSL in 1976 and had been the second vice president from 1993-2019. He has served as the CDYSL director of coaching education and instruction, head of the select team program and league representative to the Eastern New York board. Last summer he became CDYSL president. He founded the first upstate soccer tourney, the Clifton Park Soccer Jamboree in 1976, and served as tournament director until 1979. Pfeil has coached many youth teams in several clubs, including the first CDYSL team to win a State Cup title in 1988. He also is a member of the CDYSL Hall of Fame.

He has an “A” coaching license, has been a United Soccer Coaches member since 1978. Pfeil also was an ENYYSA vice president and a member of the board of directors.

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.