Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, Carlo Bucich, FIAOQ President Joseph DiPietro, Pietro Asaro, Steve Scarpati, Andrew Zizzo, Matias Aristizabal, Melanie Asaro, Joseph Bogovic, Brandon Caceres, Roger Delgado, Andro Economides, Zachary Edders, Steven Fernandez, Giancarlo Franco, Lreandro Gamarra, Niccholas Garon, Daniel Goncalves, Meghan Gonzales, Neil Gonzales, Wyatt Greene, Erik Iglesias, Henry Iglesias, Angelina Kretz, Joseph Laconi, Jonathan Lopez, Arthemis Marchese, Frankie Marzella, Steven Ramerez, Logan Resch, Steven Rojas, James Rosalas, Matthew Rosenboom, Anthony Santagata, Luis Torres, John Yavaldakis, Luis Year, Andrew Zizzo. Assemblymember Aravella Simotas visited the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Queens (FIAOQ) summer soccer camp in Astoria. The Federation holds the camp annually to instruct children ages six through 14 in the fundamental skills of the sport.

“It was a pleasure to meet such talented young people and watch them play,” said Simotas. “This camp provides a great opportunity for children in our community to stay active and healthy in the summer while building friendships and learning the importance of teamwork.”

The camp runs for four days on FIAOQ’s soccer field. Over the course of the week, experienced coaches help participants develop their soccer abilities through games and drills emphasizing the specific skills needed to succeed in the sport. This year the camp benefited from the expertise of head coaches Pietro Asaro and former Inter Milan player Angelo Orlando.

“Our goal is to teach these children to understand the game of soccer,” said the organization’s president Joseph DiPietro. “It is always rewarding on the last day of camp to see how much they have grown as players.”

“Meeting these young players and seeing the spirit of cooperation and self-esteem the camp instilled made clear why team sports are such an important resource for children,” said Simotas. “I look forward to one day having the chance to watch my daughter play.”