TOPSoccer

In the Spring of 2021, Daphne Rangers Academy partnered with US Youth Soccer to become one of just five youth soccer organizations under the Alabama Soccer Association to bring a soccer program specifically to young athletes with mental and physical challenges. Children ranging from ages 5-17, with a range of diagnoses, are given the opportunity to learn the sport, play the game, and interact with peers, youth volunteers, trained coaches, and other adult personnel in a safe, encouraging atmosphere.  Our goal is to enable these young individuals to become valued and successful members of the US Youth Soccer family.

Our program operates for one hour, one evening a week, for a duration of 8 weeks. Our participant numbers have been between 12-15, and ranging in age from 6-15 years. Therefore, we run our chapter as a class, as opposed to a league. All of the children play soccer related activities together and close with a “competitive” soccer game as one group. A head coach leads the sessions with the assistance of a licensed, public school special education teacher, and the help of a few young “buddy” players from our youth club program. The children are given balls to use if they do not have their own and we provide a shirt for each child with the TOPSoccer logo.