New Jersey Youth Soccer TOPSoccer

New Jersey Youth Soccer TOPSoccer is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities. The program focuses on learning soccer and playing soccer, with an emphasis on development, training, and meaningful participation rather than on competition. The goal of the program is to enable young athletes with disabilities to develop their physical fitness, technical skills, courage, and self-esteem through the joy and excitement of playing soccer.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: TOPSoccer Coach Course is a 4-hour course; TOPSoccer Buddy Course is a 2-hour course
• Price: Player registration and TOPSoccer Coach/Buddy training is currently offered at no cost.

A New Jersey Youth Soccer (NJYS) recognized TOPSoccer program has a minimum of five registered athletes. TOPSoccer coaches are paired with no more than five athletes, and TOPSoccer buddies are paired with no more than two athletes. All participants are reported to NJYS within one week of the start of the program to ensure proper insurance coverage. A NJYS recognized program has a minimum of one TOPSoccer Coach who has completed the TOPSoccer Coaching Course and at least one TOPSoccer Buddy who has successfully completed the TOPSoccer Buddy Training. Coaches are 18 years of age or older, and buddies are under the age of 18 years old. New Jersey Youth Soccer offers a free 4-hour TOPSoccer Coach Course and a free 2-hour TOPSoccer Buddy Course. Player registration and TOPSoccer Coach/Buddy training is currently offered at no cost, with support from RWJBarnabas Health.

The mission of New Jersey Youth Soccer is to connect and empower the youth soccer community. New Jersey Youth Soccer is a 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with U.S. Youth Soccer and the U.S. Soccer Federation. The New Jersey Youth Soccer / US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer program provides assistance to affiliated organizations with ways to enable players with mental or physical disabilities to play soccer, and NJ Youth Soccer communicates opportunities for players with disabilities in other communities, including Freehold Area Challenger Sports (Freehold Township) and CP Soccer.

The leadership and governance of New Jersey Youth Soccer include staff and board members such as Evan Dabby, Chief Executive Officer; James Galanis, Technical Director; Samantha LaManna, Director of Finance and Administration; Rick Meana, Director of Coaching; Casey Becht, Director of Operations & Strategy; Lou Mignone, ODP Youth Coaching Director; Breeana Cassidy, Program Manager; Erika Salter, ODP Manager; Lorie Hynes, Member Services & Recreation Coordinator; Jessica Fuccello, Registration Coordinator; Nicole Petras, State Cups and Competitions Coordinator; Will Scherer, Coordinator of Coaching Education and Operations; Christine Gloth, Events and Administrative Coordinator; Vinny Farina, Project Manager – Operations; John Archibald, Digital Marketing Consultant; Bill Smith, President; Nelson Ramirez, 1st Vice President; Andrew Bondarowicz, 2nd Vice President; Eric Offenberg, 3rd Vice President; Anthony Sciorilli, 4th Vice President; Jen Marcella, Secretary; Chris Savino, Treasurer; Jess Yeager, Past President; Michael Bongiorno, Member at Large; John LeFever, Member at Large; Matt Leone, Member at Large; Dana Lopes, Member at Large; Keith Rambo, Member at Large; and Jonathan Yee, Member at Large.

Last updated July 28, 2026.