New York Shockers Sign Women’s Coach For 2021 Inaugural Season

Albany, NY (March 30th, 2021)- New York Shockers owner Afrim Nezaj announced the hiring of CC Cobb as head women's soccer coach.

CC is the current Assistant Coach for the women’s soccer team at SUNY Albany, who competes in the America East Conference. She joined the program in February of 2020 and is currently participating in her first season on staff. Prior to joining University at Albany, CC was the Assistant Coach for the women’s soccer team at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. In her two seasons there, the team made back-to-back appearances in the conference tournament. In 2018, she coached two MAAC All-Rookie Team selections, one MAAC All-Second Team selection, two MAAC All-Tournament Team selections and coached alongside the MAAC Coach of the Year selection. In 2019, she coached two MAAC All-Second Team selections and had 15 student-athletes be selected for the MAAC All-Academic Team.

“CC embodies everything we want as a coach. She is a great leader with vast coaching and playing experience.” Nezaj said.

Prior to her time at Marist College, CC was the Assistant Coach for the women’s soccer team at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. In her three seasons at Wagner she oversaw one NEC All-Rookie Team selection, one NEC Second Team selection and the 2015 NEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Alongside her collegiate coaching experience, she has coached at several clubs in the state of New York, including Staten Island United, Cedar Stars Academy, LaGrange Soccer Club and FC Force. She is currently the Girls Director of Coaching at Greenbush Soccer Club in East Greenbush, New York.

Cobb was a midfielder at the University of Tennessee from 2012-2014 and Florida State University from 2010-2012. In 2011, her team won the program’s first ever ACC Championship and made a run to the Final Four.

A native from Delray Beach, Florida, Cobb graduated magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee in 2014 with a degree in Psychology and earned her MBA from Wagner College in 2016. She is currently a doctoral candidate, at SUNY Albany, in the Educational Policy and Leadership PhD program.

“I am very humbled and excited to be coaching the New York Shockers, the capital region is loaded with talent and it is going to be very cool to see the best players in the area getting together to compete. We have incredible facilities and resources to offer a deserving group of ladies, and I am very eager to get the ball rolling.” Cobb said.

The New York Shockers Women will be hosting tryouts on April 21st and 25th and will kick off their inaugural season on Saturday, May 22nd with a home game against Vermont Fusion. For more information about tickets and tryouts visit NewYorkShockers.com.

THE WPSL WELCOMES NEW YORK SHOCKERS AS LEAGUE’S LATEST EXPANSION

ALBANY, New York – The league’s East Region continues to grow as the Women’s Premier Soccer League officially welcomes the newly formed team, New York Shockers ahead of the upcoming season.

New York Shockers was founded by Albany soccer pioneer, Afrim Nezaj, through Afrim’s Sports with the mission to empower the most motivated and talented players across the capital region with a professional environment and opportunities to play the game at a higher level.

Afrim Sports, through a significant investment in the community over the last two decades, has built a soccer infrastructure that promotes the game year-round for the youngest players in its SoccerKidz program to players in its Over-50 league.

“We are very excited for the New York Shockers to showcase the high-level talent the capital region has to offer in such a well-respected league,” Nezaj said.

Nezaj moved to the Bronx, at the age of ten, from Kosovo and has become a valuable visionary for the soccer community within the Albany area. Former All-American for the University of Albany, Nezaj was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 2008. He went on to play in the American Soccer League (ASL) with Rochester Flash, New York Nationals, and Albany Capitals, as well as in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) with the Pennsylvania Stoners. He has been an integral part of the development of youth soccer in the capital region and was recognized by the Capital District Youth Soccer League as a Golden Thread award winner and Hall of Fame inductee.

The New York Shockers will compete in the North Division of the Metropolitan Conference in the league’s East Region for the 2021 season and will play all its home matches at Afrim’s Sports Park in Colonie, New York which houses four outdoor turf fields. Season tickets and individual tickets will be available and can be purchased on the club’s website.

More information about the New York Shockers can be found at their website www.newyorkshockers.com as well as their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages. For additional information on the WPSL visit wpslsoccer.com.

The WPSL is in its 23rd season and is the largest women’s soccer league in the world with more than 130 clubs from coast-to-coast in 35 states. WPSL rosters feature elite collegiate, post-collegiate, international, and standout prep student-athletes. Many of the United States’ most accomplished women’s players have played in the WPSL, including household names such as Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, and Brandi Chastain ###

New York Shockers Joins the NPSL for the 2021 Season

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that the New York Shockers (Albany, NY) have joined the league as an expansion team. The club will begin competition in the East Region in 2021. “The New York Shockers are just what the NPSL is looking for in the North Atlantic Conference,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera said. “They are perfectly positioned geographically, have a strong management group with extensive business and soccer experience, and a top-notch facility that is controlled by the organization. The NPSL is proud to have representation in the capital city of New York State.” The Shockers are led by Owner Afrim Nezaj. Nezaj, who played professional soccer in the early 90s, is the owner of Afrim’s Sports. He has been inducted in the Hall of Fame at both SUNY Albany and the Capital Youth District Soccer League. “We bring an untapped market to the NPSL that is a soccer hotbed in the Northeast,” Nezaj said. “Our organization has been intertwined with the soccer community for over 25 years, and an NPSL team was the next logical step for the progression of the game in Upstate New York.” Home matches will take place at Afrim’s Sports Park in Albany, NY. The facility was built in 2019 and serves as the home facility for many local youth clubs. In its brief history, Afrim’s Sports Park has already hosted NCAA regional finals, ACC soccer games, and Division I lacrosse games featuring top 25 teams. The stadium at Afrim’s Sports Park features seating for 1,000, a scoreboard, and a clubhouse featuring Tavern on the Turf. “The level of professionalism NPSL has shown throughout the years and the success they have had on and off the field made it an easy decision for us,” Nezaj said. The New York Shockers were a Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) team that qualified for nationals five out of the seven years of the team’s existence. In 2021, the New York Shockers founded a Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) team and will be competing in the Metropolitan Division.

More information can be found by visiting www.newyorkshockers.com or by following the club on Facebook (@NewYorkShockers), Instagram (@newyorkshockers) and Twitter (@newyorkshockers). “We are all excited to have the New York Shockers join the NPSL,” NPSL Director of Membership Development Dina Case said. “The Albany market is a great fit for the league and amateur soccer. We are also pleased with the strong business and soccer acumen that the New York Shockers ownership is bringing to the table, and we are confident they will find great success in this market.” More information about expansion opportunities in the NPSL can be found at http://www.npsl.com/expansion/