Monday, June 16, 2025
A group of Rockville Centre high school students is turning their grief into action following the sudden passing of their beloved soccer coach, Paul Ellis. The four juniors — Christian Hackett, Lachlan Stack, Declan O’Toole and Luca Suarez — have created the Paul Ellis Foundation in his honor and are organizing the inaugural Paul Ellis Memorial Youth Soccer Tournament on May 9 to raise funds for stroke awareness and prevention.
Ellis, who spent more than a decade mentoring hundreds of young athletes through the Rockville Centre Soccer Club, died unexpectedly in November of 2024, at the age of 58 after suffering a stroke. A native of Leeds, England, and a longtime Sayville resident, Ellis also worked as a soccer trainer and talent scout for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
“We had Coach Paul as our coach for a couple years, and we just loved him,” Hackett said. “He was the most influential coach that we’ve had in our lives, and we won the Long Island Cup [in 2024] with him and we had an undefeated season.”
Just weeks after his death, the students founded the nonprofit with the blessing of Ellis’ wife, Alexandra. The foundation aims to support the American Stroke Association through fundraising, education and advocacy, Hackett said. Every dollar raised will be donated in Ellis’ name to fund stroke research and prevention efforts.
The upcoming soccer tournament will be the foundation’s first official fundraising event. The goal of the event is to raise money for stroke awareness while also paying respect to the sport Ellis loved.
“Most people do a run or [raffles] that you can do,” Stack said about the fundraiser, “but since Paul was a soccer coach, we thought it would be more fitting to do a soccer tournament.”
The tournament will be held at the Rockville Centre Sports Complex at Bralower Field. The event features two sessions: the first, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., is for children in third through fifth grade. The second, from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m., is for those in sixth through eighth grade. Teams are co-ed and grouped by age, with each consisting of eight to ten players. A concession stand and merchandise booth will also be available.
While the tournament is a tribute to Ellis’ love for the game, the students also hope it becomes an annual event.
“We want the legacy [of the foundation] to have the fundraising tournament every year,” Hackett said. “I know there are definitely some freshmen and sophomores in high school right now who had Coach Paul and really loved him, so we’re definitely going to want to pass down some of the foundation duties to them, because we want to keep it up and running. I know that we’re going to go to college soon, but we’re going to also try to still have an impact.”
Corey Endy, vice president of the RVC Soccer Club and a longtime colleague of Ellis, has been working with the four boys and expressed admiration for the teens’ initiative.
“These kids really have stepped up, and they’re doing it themselves, which is great,” he said.
Ellis was a fixture in Rockville Centre’s soccer scene, working with children as young as four through the club’s intramural programs and continuing to coach travel teams across various age groups, Endy said. His unexpected absence was deeply felt by players, families and fellow coaches alike.
“I worked with Paul for 12 years before he passed away,” Endy said. “He didn’t show up for one practice, and we knew something was wrong, because he was punctual. He was always on time for everything. And he taught the boys over the years, no matter what age you are, just to be accountable for yourself on and off the field. And I think that’s why the boys are doing this, because he really did have an impact on them.”
The foundation is looking for additional sponsors for the event. Registration for the tournament, volunteer opportunities for students looking to help out at the tournament and sponsorship opportunities are all open on the website, PaulEllisFoundation2425.com. Donations can also be made directly through the site.
