Richmond TOPSoccer 2008 SPRING SEASON for youth with special needs BEGINS Sunday April 22! Registration and Buddy sign-up is open.
Do you know a child with special needs who may enjoy learning and playing soccer?
Are you a soccer player interested in helping a special needs athlete play the game?
About TOPSoccer
TOPSoccer is an outreach effort under the auspices of United States Youth Soccer and the Virginia Youth Soccer Association. TOPSoccer is designed to enrich the lives of children with special needs through the game of soccer. It offers the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl, ages 4-19, who has a mental or physical disability.
St. Joseph’s Villa, in partnership with the Richmond area youth soccer clubs, formed Richmond TOPSoccer and held its inaugural season last spring. Fall and winter programs followed, and the program is fully operational. This spring’s season will begin Sunday, April 20 and run through Sunday May 19, 2008. A special season-end festival will be held June 1st, 2008.. Registration and Buddy sign-up is now open. Please see the information below if you are interested. Participants will be taken on a first come first served basis. Capacity is limited for each season, so please act soon if you want to join the program this spring. Please note: While capacity for each season has limits, Richmond TopSoccer intends to run programs year around to provide an opportunity for all who want to participate.
Play sessions will be one per week, Sunday afternoons (4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Villa’s recreational facilities. Coach volunteers from the area’s youth clubs will conduct a variety of soccer activities and games, appropriate to each athlete’s age and ability. Each player has a local youth player “buddy” who helps the coaches and participants. St. Joseph’s Villa and volunteers provide special needs expertise. Parents are part of the program and stay on site throughout the sessions.
Buddies
Buddies become soccer playing partners with their athlete and provide support and guidance. If you are 12 or older, love soccer, want to give something back to the game, and want to help someone with special needs, we have a spot for you. You do not have to be a travel or school player, or playing with a formal program at this time – all you need to do is bring your love of your neighbor and the game to the session.
School teams are welcome to reserve a day or days, when they will be the featured Buddy group.
If you are interested in being a buddy, please e-mail Buddy Recruiting and Event Day Coordinator Paul Mack at Paul_J_Mack@aon.com and include your name, age, school, and the team you play on.
Registration
Please follow these steps so we can be sure you are registered for the spring 2008 season:
Spring is the beginning of a new annual cycle and the registration forms must be completed and fee paid by all participants except those newly registered for the winter session conducted indoors in January and February. Please register your athlete/child, by taking the following steps:
- Send an e-mail “intent to register” to the Richmond area TOPSoccer Administration and Communications Coordinator Lisa O’Shea at Laoshea@aol.com and cc: Chris Wall; cwall@richmondkickers.com
Please include the following information: Your name; the participants name and age; and, a very brief description of the nature of the participant’s special need. This and all registration information will be kept confidential.
- Download the official registration forms and complete it entirely.
- Mail with a $25 registration fee (check made payable to St Joseph’s Villa) to:
Chris Wall, Richmond Kickers
2001 Maywill Street, Suite 203
Richmond, VA 23230
(Please note TOPSoccer on the outside of the envelope)
Please take special note of the physician’s certification form, which we must have before your child may participate. You may bring this the first day.
If your child was a new participant in the winter session and you completed all the forms, please take the following steps prior to 4/22/08:
- Send an e-mail “intent to re-register” (only if you have not done so already) to Richmond area TOPSoccer Administration and Communications Coordinator Lisa O’Shea at Laoshea@aol.com and cc: Chris Wall; cwall@richmondkickers.com
If your child has experienced significant medical changes since the winter session that would affect his or her capacity to participate, please have your child’s physician’s recertify the certification form prior to 4/22. Otherwise, the physician statement is valid through Spring 08
Questions??? Please e-mail Paul Mack, Lisa O’Shea Laoshea@aol.com or cwall@richmondkickers.com , or call Paul at 320-8438, ext. 3006.
