By Jon Show–For nearly 20 years, tucked into the weekly rhythms of the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club, a group of players has gathered on the field to compete — not for trophies but simply to play.

TOPSoccer — short for The Outreach Program for Soccer — is a U.S. Youth Soccer initiative administered through affiliated clubs like the Independence.

The program was brought to the Independence when Executive Director Thomas Finlay joined the club in 2006 and has quietly become one of its most meaningful offerings, welcoming children and adults into a game they might otherwise never have had the chance to play.

“The goal is to work with special-needs individuals, both children and adults, to use the game of soccer to help them participate in an athletic event that they possibly would otherwise not be able to participate in,” said Chris Bradley, director of the club’s TOPSoccer program.

The program holds sessions once a week, with attendance ranging from 10 to 20 participants. Sessions begin with warm-up activities and build toward scrimmages, all designed to accommodate the full spectrum of players.

Central to each session is the buddy system — a one-on-one pairing between a volunteer and a participant.

“We have a wide variety of abilities and a wide variety of diagnoses as well,” Bradley said. “That one-on-one time is definitely needed to help the session go well.”

Kayla Stump, a student at Hough High School and a youth player for the Independence, volunteered for the first time last fall.

“I found out about it through school and just wanted to share my love of the game,” she said. “Communication wasn’t easy at the very beginning, but once I figured it out, I could communicate in a way they understood and was able to build connections.”

Bradley said progress in the program rarely looks like a goal-scoring highlight. Sometimes success is simply a participant staying engaged for a full session or eventually learning to kick a ball after weeks of reluctance.

In one instance, a participant who resisted a soccer ball altogether found joy in kicking around a beach ball instead.

“If they’re smiling and they’re having fun, then we’ve done our job,” Bradley said.

Bradley pointed to the power of connecting with participants as one of the program’s most underrated tools.

“When they come back the second and the third time, and you remember their name, and they know that they’re a part of the program, it’s extremely rewarding,” he said. “You really have a good feeling, especially when you see the smiles on the kids’ faces.”

The impact and connections, coaches said, extend well beyond the players themselves.

“Being able to grow with them was awesome,” Stump said. “I really loved the kids, and that made it so enjoyable. I felt so happy I was able to connect with them.”

The club is always looking for more buddies over the age of 12. Volunteer onboarding is quick and sessions run for eight consecutive weeks in the fall and spring.

Information about the program is available on the Charlotte Independence website under the Community section.

Bradley said all are welcome — volunteers and participants — regardless of their soccer knowledge or skills.

“Soccer is for everyone,” Bradley said, “and TOPSoccer definitely fits that.”