New soccer pilot program gives children with disabilities a chance to shine

Feb. 21—One local teacher and a newfound program are paving the way to give children with disabilities an opportunity to thrive on the soccer field in St. Joseph.

After four years in the making, TOPSoccer, a recreational sports program that gives kids with cognitive and physical disabilities the opportunity to play the "The Beautiful Game" debuted its four-week pilot program at Missouri Western State University from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18.

The free program paired volunteers and high school athletes, called "buddies," with kids ages 4 to 12, where they were able to play and learn soccer through a variety of activities during an hourlong session.

For program coordinator and 34-year educator Melanie Schneller, the pilot program came to life out of her pursuit of a capstone project for her master's degree in special education.

"I decided I was going to just do like clinics for kids with disabilities, have them come out, play soccer, just have fun," said Schneller, who also serves on the board for the St. Joseph Youth Soccer Association. "My main thing is to give the parents time to sit and watch and not have them have to worry about, 'Oh, I have to be out there helping them all the time.'"

Little did Schneller know, a program within U.S. Youth Soccer was already laying the groundwork. With TOPSoccer programs in Springfield, St. Louis and Topeka — but not in St. Joseph — she saw an opportunity to test the program and give kids an athletic experience they may not have had before.

With an extensive background in special education, having a framework already in place allowed her to create an experience like she did for so many years in the classroom.

"The smiles, the high fives, they seemed to be really excited about coming in. It was their time to shine and their time to have fun," Schneller said. "We had several parents say, 'Thank you so much for giving my child this opportunity.'"

St. Joseph parent Trevor Callaway jumped at the opportunity to get his son, Martin, and daughter, Ana, involved with organized sports activities that don't come around too often for kids with disabilities.

"It's harder to find a sport because adaptive options around here, especially, are not as available as maybe other parts of the country. So once we heard it, we wanted to jump on it," Callaway said.

Martin and Ana participated in almost every session and couldn't get enough of it. For Callaway, it meant a lot to see his kids be able to compete on the pitch like so many other kids. The program gave his children something exciting to look forward to every week.

"I think it shows a growth in community and the soccer community. Right?" Callaway said. "And for me, it just means one more place that is friendly to my kids and other people with disabilities. And that means a lot to a parent."

Close to a dozen volunteers and athletes from schools across the area devoted their time to help assist as many kids as possible and make the experience a memorable one.

"The important part of having a buddy is that every athlete has someone there to support them, to show them. And take it at their ability," Schneller said. "And like, I had some that really needed the extra help, some of them that didn't. But just to be there and have that bond between a buddy and an athlete, I think that's the most important part."

Schneller has her sights set on offering other camps in the summer. With high aspirations for TOPSoccer in St. Joseph, she's determined to recruit more coaches and volunteers to expand the program and hopefully make it a fixture in the community one day.

She plans to apply for more grants and is seeking donations to enhance what they could offer in the future. Another goal of hers is to work with the U.S.Special Olympics to allow more kids over 12 the opportunity to play.

"I think TOPSoccer in St. Joe is going to give more of an opportunity for kids with disabilities, cognitive or physical disabilities, so if we can bring the program here and have the volunteers, then I believe it's going to be a strong, a strong program," Schneller said.

With a gaze and a smile, Schneller pointed to an open spot on a large sign that welcomes visitors to the St. Joseph Youth Soccer Association with a goal in mind. Her dream is to see the TOPSoccer logo planted next to the logos of other influential soccer programs that have left their mark on athletes and families in St. Joseph.

"If I'm looking back 10 years from now and they're loving the game of soccer, I think it's done what it should do as far as making it available to more people," Callaway said. "I think it would be great. And I think my son would be proud to be a part of it.

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