The Outreach Program for Soccer for athletes with disabilities
TOPSoccer is a community based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl who has a mental or physical disability. The Illinois Youth Soccer – US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer program provides assistance to affiliated organizations with ways to enable players with mental or physical disabilities to play soccer. The emphasis of this program is on development, training, and meaningful participation rather than on competition. Our goal is to enable the thousands of young athletes with disabilities to develop their physical fitness, technical skills, courage, and self esteem, through the joy and excitement of playing soccer. There are thousands of children with disabilities who need, and can be provided with the opportunity to play soccer through the TOPSoccer program. That opportunity exists for these athletes to achieve, develop and compete according to their individual abilities.
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TOPSoccer was formed to perpetuate the US Youth Soccer mission statement which is, in part, “to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America’s youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition.” There are thousands of children with disabilities who need, and can be provided with, the opportunity to play soccer through the TOPSoccer program.
“Why do we need TOPSoccer? So that every kid can know the rewards of playing on a team, of trying to score – of being in the game! It brings a sense of accomplishment and sheer joy to kids who otherwise would have to sit on the sidelines. Parents can’t praise it enough, the siblings enjoy helping and cheering, the kids’ laughter and enthusiasm are infectious – In this program, everyone comes away a winner.” – Julie Foudy, US Women’s National Team Olympic Gold and Silver Medallist, World Cup Soccer Champion
Interested in starting a TOPSoccer program but not sure where to start? The TOPS-In-A-Box video series is intended to answer many of the frequently asked questions people have. The good news is that it is a lot easier and less expensive to start than you might think. Watch the videos to learn more.
- Introduction: Learn more about what TOPSoccer is, why there is a need for TOPSoccer and how it works.
- Business Needs: You have a few options in how to start a new program. Do you partner with an existing TOPSoccer program, utlize the resources of a local soccer club, or go it alone. We present the options so you can make the right choice for your needs.
- Funding: Any program will have expenses that need to be covered to offer programming. There are several ways to bring cash flow to a program without having the participant’s families bearing the entire financial burden.
- Recruitment: You will need to recruit players and buddies to run a program. This video will share some of the best practices on how to reach these audiences.
- Formatting Sessions: Do you focus on skills, games or a bit of both. This video shows so some of the most popular formats used by many successful TOPSoccer programs.
- Session Needs: Where do you play? What equipment do you need? This video discusses those topics.
- Risk Management: How do you protect yourself, your program and your participants? This video covers the coaching education available specifically for TOPSoccer, Insurance options, liability waivers and equipment choices to help make the program as safe as possible for everyone involved.
- Networking & Resources: You will not be alone when you start. The TOPSoccer coaching community is very strong and supportive. this video discusses how to connect to the TOPSoccer world around you and how specifically is there to help guide you along the way.
We recognize that these videos may not cover every question you might have. Once you have reviewed the videos, please reach out to your IYSA state chairperson for TOPSoccer, Shawn Danhouser at sdanhouser@yahoo.com or 630-935-7263, He wants to help.
TOPSoccer is a community based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl who has a mental or physical disability. The Illinois Youth Soccer – US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer program provides assistance to affiliated organizations with ways to enable players with mental or physical disabilities to play soccer. The emphasis of this program is on development, training, and meaningful participation rather than on competition. Our goal is to enable the thousands of young athletes with disabilities to develop their physical fitness, technical skills, courage, and self esteem, through the joy and excitement of playing soccer. There are thousands of children with disabilities who need, and can be provided with the opportunity to play soccer through the TOPSoccer program. That opportunity exists for these athletes to achieve, develop and compete according to their individual abilities.
TOPSoccer was formed to perpetuate the US Youth Soccer mission statement which is, in part, “to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America’s youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition.” There are thousands of children with disabilities who need, and can be provided with, the opportunity to play soccer through the TOPSoccer program.
“Why do we need TOPSoccer? So that every kid can know the rewards of playing on a team, of trying to score – of being in the game! It brings a sense of accomplishment and sheer joy to kids who otherwise would have to sit on the sidelines. Parents can’t praise it enough, the siblings enjoy helping and cheering, the kids’ laughter and enthusiasm are infectious – In this program, everyone comes away a winner.” – Julie Foudy, US Women’s National Team Olympic Gold and Silver Medallist, World Cup Soccer Champion
TOPSoccer Programs In Illinois
Below you will find a complete list of active TOPSoccer programs throughout Illinois.
Interested in starting a TOPSoccer program in your community? Contact Shannon Hartinger, Illinois Youth Soccer TOPSoccer Director or shartinger11@gmail.com or 773-401-4550
| Program | Location | Contact | Phone | |
| BASA TOPSoccer | Barrington | Emily Snyder | emily@fcxsoccer.net | |
| Campton United TOPSoccer | St. Charles | Caulbert Smith | topsoccer@camptonunited.com | 847-370-0416 |
| Cary TOPSoccer | Cary | Lori Charbonneau | topsoccer@carysoccer.org | 815-355-7766 |
| Chicago Rush Thunder TOPSoccer | Oswego | Michael Cockroft | michael@chicagorushsoccer.com | 312-802-1228 |
| Chicago TOPSoccer | Addison | Shawn Danhouser | Sdanhouser@yahoo.com | 630-935-7263 |
| Crystal Lake TOPSoccer | Crystal Lake | Bob Hansen | refbob@sbcglobal.net | 815-814-1351 |
| Galaxy TOPSoccer | Naperville | Marcus Jenkins | marcus.jenkins@galaxysc.com | 630-926-6598 |
| GLSA TOPSoccer | Libertyville | Jeff Widmark | jwidmark@sbcglobal.net | 847-722-9531 |
| Green White TOPSoccer | Mt Prospect | Mike Folkers | mfolkers@greenwhitesoccer.org | |
| Illinois FC TOPSoccer | Champaign | Luis Ramirez | doc@illinoisfc.com | |
| Illinois Fire Juniors TOPSoccer | Bloomington | Chris Downing | chrisj.downing@illinoisfirejuniors.com | |
| Lyons Township SC TOPSoccer | LaGrange | Jen Stoiber | jstoiber@ltsc.us | 708-387- 8009 |
| Olympic Super Stars | Plainfield | Andrea Papakostas | olympicsocceracademy@gmail.com | |
| Park Ridge Soccer TOPSoccer | Park Ridge | Chris Caudill | ccaudill@prsoccer.com | 312-404- 4230 |
| Rockford Raptors TOPSoccer | Rockford | Michelle Hughes | RaptorsTOPSoccer@gmail.com | |
| SASA TOPSoccer | Springfield | Kathryn Besserman | kbesserman03@gmail.com | 618-980-7436 |
| Schaumburg Athletic Association TOPSoccer | Schaumburg | Valeri Jakobi | TOPSoccer@saa-online.com | 847-220-4926 |
| Southern Illinois TOPSoccer | Carbondale | Jane Raede | sisladm@yahoo.com | 618-558-1553 |
| TCSA TOPSoccer | St Charles | Lindsay Perkins | lindsay@tcsa.net | 815-919-2207 |
| Trevian TOPSoccer | Northbrook | Jocelyn Snower | jocelynsnower@gmail.com |