By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
November 20, 2025-Children With Special Needs playing soccer in an organized league first started in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) in 1978 when the Huntington Boys Club and Massapequa Soccer Club separately started programs at a time when those with Special Needs playing sports is not as accepted as it is today. That was the first seeds of what is now TOPSoccer, The Outreach Program for Soccer, for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical challenges, all under the US Youth Soccer umbrella.
Three dozen Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) clubs now have TOPSoccer teams.
Smithtown TOPSoccer coach Bob Kinney, recently selected by Eastern New York as our 2025 TOPSoccer Coach of the Year, explained that “when Smithtown TOPSoccer player Steven Heimerle moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, I helped him find a new team through Emily Mohlin of the Special Olympics Long Island. Steven ended up playing on a Unified Soccer team, and enjoyed it so much that he contacted me to talk about it. Steven’s input on his experience led to several discussions within the Smithtown Kickers on how we could do something similar.”
Unified teams consist of those with and without challenges playing on one squad. It’s inspired by the simple principle that playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
This led to a 3-day soccer camp last July at Moriches Fields in St. James where 12 TOPSoccer players were integrated with five college and adult players, all under the direction of Miquel Gasparin, the Smithtown Kickers’ Director of Boys Training.
“The camp was a huge success. The players enjoyed it tremendously and in the Unified setting, they were able to work on more refined soccer concepts like ball possession. Everyone did not want the camp to end and asked to do it again,” Bob stated.
At the Special Olympics’ Fall Games on September 20 at Cantiague Park in Hicksville, Bob met Michael and Kristen Carolan, who had been involved in Unified Sports in Florida and are currently volunteering with Huntington Boys Club (HBC) TOPSoccer. Together with Sachem TOPSoccer coach Brian Pontecorvo, they planned their first Unified event on Saturday, November 15 at Moriches Fields as the TOPSoccer Fall Season concluded.
Unified players were on each team as Smithtown played against Sachem. The partner players’ goal was not to star on either squad but to aid each teammate in getting the ball down the field so everybody touched the ball and had a good time. For the more advanced TOPSoccer players, the higher level of play enabled them to be at their best while for the less experienced kids, they saw how soccer should be played and gave them ideas and a pathway to improve.
Bob concluded by saying, “Our partner players did a great job involving all the players plus helped them with positioning. Everyone had a great time and is very interested in pursuing Unified play when we resume next spring.”
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/