BLOOMFIELD, NJ – The Bloomfield Soccer Club’s Hi-5 Special Needs soccer program is building a new special needs soccer league in Bloomfield. The club has been offering special needs soccer for five years and this year Bloomfield Soccer has announced plans to organize a league.
“Because of the Bloomfield High School Bengal soccer squads, we’re in a position to take one massive step forward and form a league for special needs children,” club president Barry Weiner said. “We rely on a lot of volunteer help to make the program happen. The Bloomfield High School soccer players are making a big commitment this fall to get this new league running.”
The Hi-5 program is for players 4 to 14 who require individual help to participate or for children who have ambulatory challenges and want to play on a team of their own.
The league will look to form teams based on ability and age group. The soccer club is hopeful that four teams in the 5- to 7-year-old group, four teams in the 8- to 10-year-old group, and four teams in the 11- to 14-year-old group can be formed in its first year.
“It’s an aggressive and ambitious plan, but we have fantastic volunteers to help make this happen,” Weiner said. “This year, we have named Bloomfield High School senior Anthony Rizzi and junior Emily Baca to act as boys and girls teams coordinators. These two players bring a lot of excitement to this program.”
“The Hi-5 program is an excellent opportunity for the Bloomfield High School student-athletes to give back to their community,” BHS boys varsity head coach Mike Aiello said. “Working closely with the special-needs children in the Hi-5 program enables our athletes to step up and be positive role models. Each season, our athletes look forward to connecting with their community to create fun and full-filling activities within the Hi-5 program. The importance of the program is something that the players truly value and look forward to being a part of each season.”
Photos Courtesy of Barry Weiner
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