By Tamas Mondovics
For the second time since its inception in 1998, Brandon TopSoccer, (The Outreach Program for Soccer) has earned the prestigious Top Club of the Year award earlier this month.
Prior to this year’s award, the Brandon community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, was recognized in 2010 as the best TOPSoccer program in the entire state of Florida.
“Being named the best program in the state is a great honor,” said Ken Muzyk a member of TOPSoccer board of directors.
Organized by youth soccer association volunteers, TOPSoccer is designed to bring about the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl, age 5 and up, with special needs.
The club, which pulls players from ages 5 and up from all over Hillsborough County as well as from Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Pinellas, has been supported by The Brandon Area Youth Soccer League (BAYSL), now known as the West Florida Flames.
“Our goal is to enable the hundreds of young athletes with disabilities to become valued and successful members of Florida Youth Soccer and the US Youth Soccer family,” he said. “As a corporate and individually sponsored program, there is no cost for the family.”
A major reason for its success is its continuous local community support which, according to Muzyk, has kept the club running for more than 15 years.
The most recent examp
le of such local support was in the form of a generous donation by the members of Brandon Regional Hospital Physicians Group.
“We want to thank these doctors very much for their generosity,” Muzyk said.
The 2015 TOPSoccer fall season at BAYSL, 3104 S. Kings Ave. in Brandon behind Kingswood Elementary School, is scheduled to start on Saturday, September 12, at 9 a.m. The season will run through mid-November.
TOPSoccer will hold its fall season registration on Friday, August 14 from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, August 15 from 9 a.m.-12 Noon, Friday, August 21 from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, August 22 from 9 a.m.-12 Noon, Friday, August 28 from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, August 29 from 9 a.m.-12 Noon at the BAYSL clubhouse.
Players must be 5-years-old on or before Saturday, September 12 and must bring a copy of their Individual Education Plan (IEP) form at registration.Anyone interested in coaching a team may contact Lillian Dehghan, at brandontops@aol.com.
For more information, call 657-5271.
You must be logged in to post a comment.