Bolivar man has a ball coaching at Soccer4All
Josh Hampton of Bolivar played the game for about three years and wanted to give back, so he became a coach for Soccer4All when he turned 18.
Former Soccer4All player Josh Hampton loves soccer. He also loves coaching kids after having been a player for several years.
Soccer4All is the Dover Soccer Association league for children age 5-18 who have any type of developmental delay or disability such as ADD/ADHD, autism, hearing or sight impairments, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy and other special needs.
“Any child who has an Individualized Education Plan in school can participate,” said Lisa Stilgenbauer, director of Soccer4All.
Hampton suffered a traumatic brain injury as a baby. But he hasn’t let it stop him from achieving his goals, one of which was to find a way to give back to the Soccer4All program.
“Having a brain injury as a baby could have ended badly, but it didn’t because I had God on my side,” Hampton said. “Whenever I see people with special needs, I don’t see special needs. I see kids that are normal, and I want to give them the chance to have fun.”
With having fun as the goal, Hampton said he never pressures the kids to excel or compete with one another. “I just want them to come out, get some fresh air and fun, instead of being in the house all day,” he said.
A 2022 graduate of Tusky Valley High School, Hampton is employed by Lowe’s in the lumber and building materials department, where he stocks shelves and helps customers load their vehicles.
Food drives June 4 and 11
In addition to coaching, Hampton asked Soccer4All to hold a food drive benefiting Friends of the Homeless of Tuscarawas County.
“Whenever you see people without homes or who don’t have enough food, you should help them because they’re still human, no matter what,” Hampton said. “Especially since COVID, I think we should help, so that’s why I wanted to do a food drive for the homeless shelter.”
Unexpired, nonperishable food items such as canned goods, pasta, peanut butter, cereal and soup can be dropped off June 4 and 11 at Deeds Field at 125 Williams Drive NW in Dover between 11 a.m. and noon.
A little perspiration and a lot of inspiration
While Hampton works at coaching, he also is an inspiration to the kids on the team.
“Josh has phenomenal soccer ability,” said Stilgenbauer, who spent seven years coaching competitive soccer for the DSA. “He’s a very unique young man, and every time I talk to him, he brings tears to my eyes. He’s just so giving. I think some of our high school players see that in Josh and are inspired, and they encourage him too.”
Soccer4All is open to any student in Tuscarawas County. “We’ve had kids from Tusky Valley, Dover, New Philadelphia, Sugarcreek, Garaway, Indian Valley, Strasburg and Conotton Valley,” Stilgenbauer said.
According to Stilgenbauer, many of the Soccer4All kids also play for the Tuscarawas County Challenger Baseball league.
“It is just wonderful to watch the kids, whether they’re doing an obstacle course or kicking the ball or it gives the parents a chance to relax and watch their children play, and the kids are outdoors doing something,” Stilgenbauer said.
Commenting on the flexible, noncompetitive nature of the program, Stilgenbauer said, “Sometimes, the littler kids want to play duck duck goose, and that’s OK too.”
Stilgenbauer said she wanted to bring the Soccer4All program to Dover after seeing what the Hudson program did for her niece, who has autism. “I just loved watching what it did for the children with special needs and for the parents too, because they can sit on the sidelines and cheer their kids like any other parent. They are so appreciative to have a place where their kids can go and just run around,” she said.
Stilgenbauer has watched a lot of kids grow up on the soccer field. “Some of the kids have been with me so long that I’ve seen them grow from the little 5- or 6-year-old that cried every Saturday to players on the field,” she said.
To register a child for next year’s six-week spring program, visit www.dsasoccer4all.org. The cost to register is $30 per child.