TIM FITZGERALD earned the WSA Presidential Legacy Award. Pictured with Fitzgerald (left) is Ashley Renzi. (Courtesy Photo)
WAKEFIELD — Wakefield Soccer recently held its annual Volunteer Appreciation and Awards event. This event allows the WSA board to say thank you to those who volunteer to bring two seasons of successful play to the community.
The night was capped off with the presentation of several awards. Each award was presented by the previous year’s winner.
Tim Fitzgerald won the Presidential Legacy Award. This award is presented to the past President in acknowledgement of their leadership and service to the organization. In addition to serving as President for 3 years, Fitzgerald has been coaching in Wakefield for the past 13 years and continues to be highly involved in the WSA community.
The WSA Volunteer of the Year award winner was Paul Paglierani. This award is presented to a volunteer within WSA who has gone above and beyond in service to the membership and wider community.
Paglierani has been a member of the WSA community since 2009. This past year, he oversaw the TOPSoccer program. Paglierani had to navigate state requirements, grants for funding, build a curriculum, manage volunteer sign-ups and field procurement to ensure that the TOPs program ran smoothly. Most importantly, he provided a welcoming environment for all involved in this essential program.
The Sean Buckley Award winner was Lindsay Pothier. This award is to recognize an individual who demonstrates exceptional commitment to core values of sportsmanship — including team building, equality, inclusion, perseverance, and respect. Pothier has held multiple roles through the years while being part of the WSA community. This past year, she led her 7/8th grade team, the Spurs, into the Essex County (ECYSA) playoffs.
The Stephen de Garavilla Award winner was Lee Millward. This award is to recognize an individual who demonstrates exceptional commitment to holistic player development. Millward spent several seasons coaching on the same sideline as de Garavilla throughout his coaching tenure at WSA. Millward also led his 7/8th grade team, the Redbulls, into the playoffs this past season.
The night was a huge success and attended by over 60 coaches/volunteers. Wakefield Soccer would like to acknowledge and thank the West Side Social Club, especially President Ben Schools, for being gracious hosts.
To learn more about Wakefield Soccer including open board positions, volunteer opportunities and other ways to contribute, please visit www.wakefieldsoccer.org.
