Aleksei Roschko, NJYS Contributor (Photo by Jeffrey Auger)
New Jersey Youth Soccer is proud to announce Jonathan Yee as the new TOPSoccer Chair for the state association. TOPSoccer is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, providing assistance for affiliated organizations to enable players with mental or physical disabilities to play soccer.
Yee, who has been previously honored as the NJYS TOPSoccer Volunteer of the Year, first got involved with the TOPSoccer initiative after attending a soccer coaching summit at Red Bull Arena. During that event, he watched a presentation about the program by NJYS TOPSoccer Director Lou Mignone. Chatham United Soccer did not have a TOPSoccer program at that time, so he teamed up with an old friend, Ashley Dunn, to launch one.
“Ashley has been so instrumental in TOPSoccer, and our program would not exist without her leadership and efforts,” said Yee. “We also worked closely with previous Chatham United President Jesse Tracy on logistics, fields, equipment and funding.”
The primary goal for Yee and the NJYS TOPSoccer initiative is to foster awareness and engagement in additional communities to extend the program’s positive impact upon players and their families, as well as supplementing the overall experience and value gained by existing TOPSoccer programs. He believes that NJ Youth Soccer can build this further awareness through grassroots outreach efforts, while also using social media to promote TOPSoccer opportunities and help grow the player base in existing programs.
“TOPSoccer is so important because it extends the beautiful game of soccer to an underserved part of the communities we live in, providing opportunities for our players and families to have fun and socialize with others,” continued Yee. “Furthermore, it helps to build awareness, kindness and compassion for people with disabilities.”
In his professional career, Yee is a Managing Director at EY who specializes in data and analytics strategy and solutions. When he is not working, he enjoys coaching youth sports, including Chatham TOPSoccer, and volunteers on various boards such as NJ Youth Soccer, Chatham United Soccer and Delbarton PCDI. Raised on Long Island, Yee and his wife, Heather, live in Chatham with their three children, each of whom play soccer in addition to a handful of other sports.
To find out more information about New Jersey Youth Soccer or to contact us directly, please email [email protected]. Also make sure to follow us on social media: @NJYouthSoccer