Regional Commissioner: Joe Santella

Hello,
My name is Joe Santella. I recently relocated to Saugerties where my wife and I have had a summer house for a few years and are now permanent residents.Loving the beautiful game of soccer, I volunteered to serve on the board of the Saugerties AYSO, Region 595. My role is Interim Regional Commissioner until a Regional Commissioner is elected. I bring with me more than twenty-five years of soccer coaching experience in co-ed recreational soccer programs, girls recreational soccer, boys and girls travel soccer, and service on youth sports non-profit boards. I look forward to serving the Saugerties community by applying my experience and skill in youth sports with my fellow board members to provide a fun, safe and developmental experience to all our registered players, as we grow the love for and participation in the worlds most popular sport.

Playing Experience:
I began playing soccer on Long Island in elementary school back in the 1960s on the school’s teams. My High School did not have a soccer program back in the early 1970’s so I played travel soccer in a Suffolk County League. At Stony Brook University I played my Freshman year on the school team. After college, over the years I have played in various adult leagues on Long Island, in Jersey City and Basking Ridge, NJ.

Coaching Experience:
1994 – 2004 Sacred Hearts Youth Soccer Program – Director and coach
2004 – 2006 AYSO Brooklyn Region 473 – Youth team coach
2007 – 2020 Jersey City Soccer Association – Recreation program team coach, travel program team coach, Director Travel Program, Director Girls Program
- I also hold a US Soccer D license

Board Experience:
1995 – 2004 Trustee Sacred Hearts Youth Soccer Program
2012 – 2021 Trustee, Vice President and President Jersey City Soccer Association
2021 Safety Director AYSO Region 595 Saugerties New York

Registrar: Anja McCloskey

My name is Anja McCloskey and I joined the AYSO Region 595 Board in Summer 2022. My professional career is in the area of child development, communication disorders, psychology, and special education. Although I moved to Saugerties as an adult, I am proud to call Saugerties my home for over a decade and look forward to continuing to contribute to making it an even better place for our children to live in. One of the ways I am contributing to improve our town is by supporting our local AYSO Region 595 as the Registrar! I have formally accepted the Region Registrar position as of January 2023 and look forward to doing my best to improve the programs we offer for all youth and adults!

My soccer experience began with my oldest child joining for 6U and my youngest for 4U in 2021. I served as an Assistant Coach to my husband who was the Head Coach while attempting to learn the game myself from him and the children. As my children’s love for soccer grew, so did mine. I joined an adult women’s league in 2022 and am continuing my journey with this sport.

When I signed my children up for AYSO soccer in 2021, I had no idea what the acronym stood for and what the organization's philosophy was. I had no idea that we are a local region of a national organizations which provide research-based curriculum to teach children soccer at a developmentally appropriate level for their age! I had a wonderful opportunity in the Spring of 2023 to learn about the science behind the AYSO soccer curriculum manuals and the reasoning behind the specific way the games are set up, which is based on child development stages and progressions to best support children through learning at their specific gross motor skill level for their age and level of development! I appreciate the research and coaching classes AYSO provides to share the knowledge of soccer and develop a community of well-rounded coaches and players in our small, yet very sports-rich town! One of the most important goals for our current AYSO 595 Board is to continue and improve coach education by provide most up to date research-based coaching knowledge to our coaches and players. Join us on this venture and volunteer in any capacity that you are able to and help us continue and expand the love for Soccer in Saugerties!

Playing Experience:
- Local Women’s Soccer League - Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Summer 2023+
- Friendly Adult Coed Pick-Up Games - Spring-Summer 2023+

Coaching Experience:
2021 - Assistance Coach: 6U
2022 - Assistance Coach: 4U, 7U
2023 - Head Coach: 5U; Assistant Coach: 5U, 8U

Coach Administrator: Jodi Council

For over 15 years Jodi coached soccer at AYSO and other soccer club/athletic organizations. As an AYSO volunteer Jodi achieved several awards and many certifications including Advanced Coach Instructor, several Sportsmanship Awards, coached for AYSO United, and served for over a decade as a AYSO Board Member Coach Administrator/Instructor for Region 10 and now serves in Saugerties Region 595 in the same capacity. Additionally, he served as a member of Area staff/board for Area 1f/ Section 1.

Jodi graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Psychology, holds a Masters degree in Education specializing in Curriculum and Instruction and is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership. He enjoys all sports especially soccer, tennis, lacrosse, and enjoys traveling as a lifelong learner. Jodi has three adult daughters that’s all played AYSO.

AYSO Background:
- AYSO Volunteer since: 2005

Current AYSO Roles:
- Coach Administrator & Instructor, Region 595 
- Area 3B Coach Administrator

Other AYSO Experience:
- Region 10: Referee, Coach, Regional Coach Instructor, Regional Coach Administrator.
- Area 1F: Coach Instructor
- AYSO United: Coach

Other Certifications:
- United States Soccer Federation (USSF) B License 
- La Liga Methodology Level I, II, III Certifications
- California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Coaching Certificate
- United Soccer Coaches Goal Keeping I Diploma