This is part of a weekly series that introduces our readers to individuals passionate about the Mid-Valley community.
Spring soccer is in full swing at Salem Indoor, an indoor soccer center off Portland Road.
The building is owned by Salem's Capital Football Club and is home to indoor league play as well as adaptive soccer games each spring and fall for athletes who have historically faced barriers to accessing the sport. We welcome your program.
The Capital FC TOP soccer program is the passion project of Joanna Fields, who grew up “downstream”, graduated from McKay High School, and graduated from Corban College. During his 2017 summer while at Corban, Fields was hired as a social media intern at his CFC.
After graduating with degrees in exercise science and psychology, she again helped with the organization and was then hired full-time.
Fields grew up playing basketball, volleyball and softball, so she never imagined she would become a football program director.
“My memories are of playing outside my grandma's house with my cousins and them shooting the ball at me,” she said.
But Fields recognized the need to help grow the game for people with different needs.
Every summer, she volunteered at Camp Attitude, an accessible summer camp held in Foster. When she first became an intern at her CFC, she also worked with children with disabilities. Fields said she realized she had an opportunity because she was working concurrently in the soccer world.
She proposed the idea during a staff meeting and it was suggested that they consider bringing TOPSoccer to Salem. The national program has other active programs in the state, including in Portland and Eugene. Fields oversaw the program in Portland, received accreditation, and began planning what the program would look like in Salem.
CFC TOPSoccer became official in spring 2022. That year, CFC received a $20,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.
“Right away we had 40 kids signed up,” Fields said. This was an unexpected request, so the program was split into two sessions. One for athletes ages 5 to 9 and the other for athletes ages 10 and up. Fields also had to cap his sessions.
Fifty-one players have registered for this year's spring session, and there is a waiting list. Some participants will be participating in the program for the first time. Some companies have been participating since 2022.
Regardless of their classification, all of the players have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Fields said it's a barrier some families may face in other programs for children with disabilities because of the strict eligibility and application requirements.
“TOPSoccer is a blank slate,” Fields said. “I think there’s a huge need for that in our community.”
CFC TOPSoccer also offered pop-up winter classes for athletes with disabilities this year.
Fields said her favorite part of the program is meeting the kids.
Each athlete is paired with a community volunteer (often ages 13 to 17) who provides one-on-one training and support. A buddy cannot be a parent, but a parent must remain on site. She said it helped foster a community connection that Fields is proud of.
Fields said she loves seeing athletes connect with their peers and parents connect with other parents.
Each Saturday, each of the two sessions begins with drills and one-on-one instruction with peers. The end of the training involves dividing the group into small soccer matches.
This year's program also partnered with DSP Connections, an organization that provides support to adults and children with disabilities. The organization awarded scholarships to some families to enroll their children in the program.
Fields also wants to start a basketball program, but it won't be under the CFC umbrella. She said this is part of her vision to increase accessibility to the sport.
“Families are always looking for more,” Fields said. “We not only want to expand the soccer opportunities, but we also want to add a few more sports in there, because we think we can replicate this model across the board for athletes.”
She said she is grateful for the support CFC has provided. TOPSoccer has at least 50 volunteers and the program would not be possible without indoor space.
There is a form to sign up online at cfcsalem.com/topsoccer. The spring TOPSoccer program is underway, and waitlist registration is also available online. The program costs $80 for eight weeks, but scholarships are available.
If you have an idea for someone to feature in this series, email Statesman Journal Editor-in-Chief Cherrill Crosby at crosbyc@statesmanjournal.com.
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