By EVA HANEGRAAFF
NORTH READING — It is incredibly clear through the countless awards and competitions North Reading wins year after year that athletics are a major part of North Reading’s culture and community. It is also well known by community members that, even through all its competitiveness, North Reading values inclusion beyond all else.
TOPSoccer is a national program that has branches throughout Massachusetts seeking to bring the sport of soccer to more students in a fun and enjoyable way.
TOPS stands for The Outreach Program for Soccer and seeks to provide an opportunity to play soccer for students ages 4-19 with abilities and cognitive levels that make it difficult to participate in a traditional soccer program. Student volunteers, or “buddies” are paired with a player who they pass with and teach throughout practices.
Ann Suny is the local TOPS director for the towns of Andover, Reading and North Reading. She describes TOPS as a “program that just opens up the world of soccer.”
Practices for TOPS are an hour long and take place every weekend during the fall and spring seasons. In discussing the practices in general, Suny explains, “It’s a total stress free environment for the kids.” The structure of the practices consists of check in, larger group skills broken up by level and interest, and a scrimmage.
“The kids absolutely love the scrimmage and the buddies all line up on the side of the field and cheer them on,” Suny explains. The last part of practice is a parachute, where all the players and buddies gather around a parachute, play music, and relax.
In a program such as TOPSoccer, there are many differences between it and a traditional soccer program. “We think about every child’s need,” Suny says. “As kids show up, we learn specific strategies to support them individually.”
This is also the reason why consistency is another major consideration, according to Suny. “When we pair a player with a buddy, we try to ensure that they stay together for as long as possible,” Suny says. She goes on to explain how the relationships that are formed through TOPS often continue even after high school. “These relationships are really kind of the magic of it and what makes it so special,” Suny believes.
For the players, TOPS offers them an experience that has different benefits for each individual player. “It’s a chance for them to do something different and make new friends,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for them to be a part of a different community.”
Suny also understands that the program can have lasting effects on the volunteers as well. “It’s honestly a real game changer for the buddies because I think a lot of buddies will come to TOPS interested in getting their hours but I think they end up sticking around because it is such a valuable relationship they have with the players,” Suny explains. She expands on this idea by saying, “I think a lot of time high school students get slotted in their areas of interest and they do not have a chance to go beyond that. TOPS offers them an opportunity to have an experience that goes outside of what they may be used to.”
North Reading’s inclusive nature makes the community not only conducive, but infinitely improved by having a TOPSoccer program, pushing students in a variety of different ways to branch out and take on new experiences.
For all students who may want to get involved within TOPS, both as players or buddies, they can register online at NRYS.org, and there is absolutely no soccer experience required. Spring sessions begin April 6 and run through June 1 this year, with the commitment being just one hour every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 12 noon at Maguire Field.
Suny encourages all students interested to sign up and become part of the incredible community that is TOPSoccer. There is no fee to participate in the program.