When FIRE Soccer Club launched its first special-needs soccer session in 2019, only one child showed up. But for Armando Martinez, the club’s president, that one player—Landen—was everything. The FIRE Soccer Club was founded in 2015 as a FUN, player-centered soccer program based in the Howard, Suamico and Pulaski Wisconsin area.
“Landen didn’t like sports or exercise at first,” Armando recalls. “But that day, something clicked and he began to love it. And the next week, more kids came. By the end of the season, we had 15.” Landen is now 22 and one of the club’s Coach Helpers.
With that momentum, FIRE’s TOPSoccer program—designed to support players with disabilities—was born. But sustaining it, especially in northeast Wisconsin where indoor spaces are hard to come by, has never been easy.
“We’re a volunteer-run club,” says Armando, “We had the passion, the players, and the vision—but the funding? That was harder.”
That’s where the Wispact Foundation came in. The grant from Wispact allowed FIRE to do more than keep the program afloat—it helped it grow. Rental fees for gym spaces, accessible equipment like weighted sensory balls and blind soccer balls, and uniforms that matched those of other players all became possible.
“It matters that our kids get the same jerseys as everyone else,” Armando says. “It’s not just a shirt—it’s being part of the team.”
With the help of Wispact’s support, the club has expanded its reach. Today, kids travel from as far as Sheboygan and Oconto to participate. A former player, Brooklyn Turner, even started a sister program in Central Wisconsin, including Wausau, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids. FIRE now operates two active locations, with players ranging in age from 3 to 22.
For families who once thought there was no place for their child in youth sports, FIRE offers something rare: belonging.
One parent drives two hours from West Bend for each session. Another told Armando that her son, who once refused physical activity, now looks forward to practice each week. “You got him to move,” she said. “You made it fun.”
FIRE’s mission is to ignite a lifelong love of soccer. With Wispact’s help, they’re doing just that—for every child, at every ability level.