Kids with special needs can learn to play soccer and find a community with the TOPSoccer program at the Midland Soccer Club.
Head coach Tamara Hageage said it is an inclusive program that welcomes players of all abilities.
“It is the pure joy of soccer,” she said. “No matter how bad my day is going, no matter how good or poorly I feel I have done with my coaching, the kids are just happy. ... We all have a great time.”
Soccer as an educational experience
TOPSoccer, which is an acronym for The Outreach Program for Soccer, has been a national youth sports organization for more than 30 years. Tamara is also the chairperson for Michigan TOPSoccer, which has programs in several cities.
In Midland, she coaches teams in spring and fall and has around 24 registered players per season. The players are normally ages 5 to 18, she said.
They have eight practices per season, during which kids develop skills such as passing and shooting a ball, do exercises and activities, do special stretches and sometimes play games, Tamara said.
Soccer teaches kids to work as a team, accept others for who they are and respect them, Tamara said.
“It’s good for young children to play sports so they can learn how to take directions from somebody else besides mom or dad,” she said. “It teaches many life lessons. ... It teaches body awareness.
“It has the physical and mental and emotional positive aspects to it of being outside, exercising, being with other people that enjoy doing something that you enjoy, making friends.”
Tamara's husband, George Hageage, who is the technical director and director of coaching at Midland Soccer Club, said the club's mission is to provide opportunities to play soccer for every skill level and every ability.
He also agreed that soccer is a great teacher of life lessons.
“Soccer is a sport where when you have the ball, it’s you, you're the individual,” George said. “We talk a lot about knowing yourself, a lot of self-reflection. ... So, it’s a unique sport in terms of that ... you’re an individual, (but) you’re still a part of a team.
“You have to figure out the dynamic. If you become stronger as a player, your team becomes stronger. It’s just an interesting process and that’s why we love soccer.”
Soccer as a life journey
George took on the technical director position at Midland Soccer Club in 2014, and Tamara started coaching TOPSoccer in 2017. They both have dedicated their lives to soccer and have been coaching for nearly 40 years.
They are both from Toledo, Ohio, where they served as assistant soccer coaches for the women’s soccer team at the University of Toledo.
George was also head coach at Eastern Washington University, various youth clubs, and the Ohio Olympic Development Program.
“To me, it has literally been my life’s goal to become the best coach that I can become and deliver knowledge to the younger generations,” George said. “I went into college thinking I was going to be a doctor. I turned out getting a master’s in education. Life’s funny that way. You have to be prepared ... for all those curveballs that get thrown to you.”
Tamara said her journey was a little different.
“When I was 5, I was asked by a friend to go and try out for a soccer team,” she said. “At that time I didn’t even know what soccer was. But ... I scored a goal my first game. I was so excited. My dad ... got me a root beer float, and I decided that day I was going to be a professional soccer player.”
Tamara played professional soccer internationally and semi-pro soccer in the United States, and was a women's soccer coach at Eastern Washington University in addition to coaching in Toledo.
She said soccer has been her lifelong dream and that it can be inspiring for young players to see that she was able to do it, so they can, too.
Who can join TOPSoccer?
Tamara said coaching at TOPSoccer has been just like any other coaching position.
“I think the more you do something, the better you get at it,” she said. “Especially with TOPSoccer, we tend to share a lot, talking with other coaches, watching other sessions, just trying to be creative.”
She said she always makes sure the kids are safe but also that they all are having fun.
“It’s amazing to watch how she’s able to put sessions together where all of them are able to participate,” George said.
A big part of the TOPSoccer experience is the "buddies," Tamara and George said.
Buddies are volunteers who graduated from the program or just kids, teens or adults. They help players with different things when playing soccer, such as directing the ball to a player, using touch or sign language to guide a player, and helping focus on an activity, according to the Midland Soccer Club website.
Tamara said a buddy gets paired with a player “to help keep them safe (and) keep them motivated,” and that TOPSoccer in Midland is always looking for buddies to volunteer.
Those who want to volunteer or join the team as a player can reach out to Tamara.
