Fostering Growth, Celebrating Diversity, Uniting Through Sports
Our Mission
The Outreach Program for Sports aims to foster the physical, mental, and emotional growth and development of people with special needs (ie. intellectual, developmental, and/or physical disabilities). Our goal is to enable this community to develop their physical fitness and self-esteem, as well as social, technical, and vocational skills through the power of inclusive programs.
Our Athletes
A TOPS athleteports player is defined as anyone youth player between the ages of 54 and 25 who has a disability that limits their ability to perform at the level of play in which they have chosen to participate. Any and all athletes in the special needs community are welcome on our fields.
Our Vision
“A world that intentionally addresses the physical and social inclusion of people of all ages and abilities”
OUR VALUES
Inclusion
We create welcoming spaces where every child, regardless of ability, is valued and included.
Outreach
We actively engage with families and communities to ensure access to meaningful sports opportunities for all.
Awareness
We strive to raise understanding and visibility around the strengths and needs of children with disabilities.
Empowerment
We empower children to believe in their abilities, take pride in their progress, and celebrate every victory.
Movement
We promote the joy and benefits of physical activity through adaptive sports that support healthy development.
Relationship-building
We foster strong, lasting connections between participants, families, volunteers, and our wider community.
OUR GOALS
To provide people with special needs with the resources, environment, and support necessary to accomplish a life of fulfillment
To create a safe, welcoming, loving, and environment for all participants
To contribute to improving quality of life for all participants
To foster relationships with community partners
To ~ripple~ our values and impact into the broader community
THE HISTORY OF TOPSPORTS
Troy and his wife Michele have four children; their youngest, JT, was born with Down Syndrome. After years of coaching each of his daughters’ soccer teams & being a Boy Scout leader, he had no intention of ‘sitting on the sideline’ when it came to JT. At first, this was easy enough- just one day a week supervising little 4-5 year olds flocking to a ball in their oversized green t-shirts; JT was right on par and having a blast! But two years later, the gap between him and his teammates was widening to a point of no return. Troy realized that in order to keep JT involved in soccer, he’d have to find something better suited to his son's unique needs.
After some thought, research, and recon with his daughter, Kayla, they found a program which seemed like it just might be perfect: US Youth Soccer’s TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer). The only problem? Though there were multiple programs located in NJ, the vast majority were in the North, and much too impractical for JT. As time would have it, Kayla & her team were about to enter high school, which meant that for the first time in over 20 years Troy would not be coaching or leading at least one of his kids’ activities. Knowing this, his daughter kept making jokes wondering what on earth he would do with himself in his new-found free-time?
His answer was ultimately to approach the Harrison Soccer Club board about beginning a New Jersey Youth Soccer TOPSoccer program here.
US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based training program for all athletes with intellectual, emotional, and or physical disabilities. The program strives to provide soccer opportunities (the opportunity of soccer) for players to develop at their own pace in a safe, fun, and supportive/inclusive environment.
It was from this model that the creation of TOPSports (The Outreach Program for Sports) is a 501c(3) nonprofit whose mission is to foster the physical, mental, and emotional growth of its participants, including coaches, volunteer buddies, and athletes across South Jersey.
In the fall, they offer soccer and a cheerleading program, in the spring it's baseball, and the winter is basketball. Thirteen years and 42 sessions later, TOPSports has approximately 100 participating athletes and 120 volunteer buddies each season. And it all started with a dad just wanting to find an opportunity for his little boy to play soccer.