Lakewood Ranch nonprofit soccer program is tops

Preston Bowers, a 23-year-old, first-year medical student at LECOM, spends Saturday mornings at the Lakewood Ranch Park soccer fields. 

Bowers is a volunteer "buddy" for The Outreach Program for Soccer, more commonly known as TOPSoccer, which operates under the umbrella of the Southwest Florida Premier Football Club.

Players are paired with buddies. Bowers’ 30-year-old sister, Lauren Bowers, has something in common with many TOPSoccer players — cerebral palsy. 

The program isn’t unique to Lakewood Ranch. TOPSoccer is a nationwide initiative to bring soccer to young athletes with intellectual, emotional and physical disabilities. 

But that initiative has to be put into action by local soccer clubs that, in Florida, are members of the Florida Youth Soccer Association. Each participating club manages its own TOPSoccer program. 

Bowers’ sister was part of a program in their home state of Ohio. 

“There’s something about bringing all of these kids together, who at times might feel like they aren’t always accepted,” Bowers said. “I saw how impactful it was for my parents to have a community and support system. Seeing the smiles and connections that both the parents and the kids make is something that words can’t really describe.”

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

TOPSoccer has an established partnership with LECOM so the program is never short of volunteers. The students earn TOUCH points (Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health); 50 hours earns a Silver TOUCH Award and 100 hours earns a Gold recognition. 

The student’s commitment to service is then cited in his or her dean’s letter, which can be helpful when seeking a residency position. 

For Bowers, his involvement in TopSoccer will extend beyond his medical education. 

“I would love to stay involved,” he said. “Any support I can give to Chris (Collins), I’m happy to because what he’s doing is fantastic.” 

Chris Collins, executive director of Ability to Include, took over the management of the TOPSoccer program in 2021. 

He calls the program “Lakewood Ranch’s best kept secret” because if you’re not part of the special needs community, you might not have heard of it even though it’s been around for 19 years. 

While the ages served are advertised as 4-21 years old because that’s the sweet spot, Gilberto Rios has been with the program since it started in 2007. He started at 13 and is still playing at 32. 

Rios has autism. He faithfully attends practice, and his age and behavior pose no issues for the other players.

Collins will also try to work with kids under 4 if their parents think they’re ready. He said the individual clubs can make their own rules. 

In that same vein, once Collins took over the program, he stopped charging the $25 registration fee. There are under 70 athletes in the program, so he opted to fundraise for that money instead. 

Donations and grants pay for the program. Collins gladly accepts donations of new and used soccer equipment, too. 

“Even if it’s just a $25 registration fee, that’s a copay for one session of therapy,” Collins said. “For me, it was important to keep it free to get rid of that barrier.” 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Another reason Collins did away with registration fees was because it doesn’t always work out for kids who try the program. With no fees involved, there’s nothing to lose.

Izzie Wagar, a 15-year-old with autism, loves the program now. But when she started at 5 years old, she did not. 

“She didn’t want to come out (to practice) the first few years,” said her dad, Alan Wagar. “She’d only stay for half the sessions. Now, she genuinely looks forward to it.” 

Izzie Wagar is nonverbal, but her joy was evident in her smile and the bear hug she gave her dad during a break in practice.

Frequent breaks for older players are part of the adaptive nature of TOPSoccer. They also scrimmage alongside their buddies, who can control the flow of the games so a team won’t lose by 10 goals. 

Collins noted that there are huge disparities in soccer abilities among the players, so the buddies keep it fair but still competitive. 

For the younger players, practices are player-led. Goals are set up so they can practice kicking. They have a buddy by their side to guide them, but there are no organized activities or requirements. 

The endgame is to exercise and have fun playing outside with friends.