TopSoccer Games and BBQ Kick Off New York Youth Soccer Summer Season
New York Soccer News: Special Children playing soccer started in New York over four decades ago
TOPSoccer stands for The Outreach Program for Soccer and it’s a wonderful program for Children With Special Needs. Special Children playing soccer in an organized league actually started in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) back in 1978 when the Huntington Boys Club (HBC) and Massapequa Soccer Club separately started programs in an era when Special Children playing sports is not as accepted as it is today.
The LIJSL TOPSoccer Program has been using the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview as a home base since the 1980’s, even before it was known by that moniker. The fields are named after Peter Collins, a US Soccer Hall of Famer whose tenure as LIJSL President from 1977 to 2004 included unprecedented growth and inclusion, including starting and expanding TOPSoccer.
Under the direction of LIJSL TOPSoccer Chairperson Ann Marie Toth and using the slogan of “Come Play With Me,“ there are now 28 LIJSL TOPSoccer clubs, from Queens to the East End of Long Island.
A big event during the Spring Season is the annual Games and Barbecue which will be played on Saturday morning, June 1 at the Collins Soccer Park. As the TOPSoccer fields are being renovated, the games have been moved to another section of the Collins Soccer Park.
The games will start at 9:30 am with the older kids on Field 2 with the younger kids starting at 10:30 am on Field 1. Everybody will then eat lunch around 11:30 am.
For more info about TOPSoccer including info on registering your child, please contact Toth at 516-694-3567.
Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association: With over 100,000 youth soccer players–both boys and girls–and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) reaches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees, and administrators.
