Welcome to Doza Sports — Beyond the Ball

I never planned to start a business. I planned to coach soccer and change kids' lives — turns out, those two things led me here anyway.

Welcome to the Doza Sports blog. I'm Tara — a 14- going on 15 year NYC public school teacher, a former Division I and semi-professional soccer player, a Jersey City local, and now, the founder of Doza Sports LLC. This space is for every parent who wants their kid to love movement, every coach who knows that sports teach so much more than sports, and every woman who is figuring out how to build something of her own while holding everything else together.

Pull up a chair. This is going to be good.

So, What Is Doza Sports?

Doza Sports is a youth multi-sport and social-emotional learning (SEL) startup based in Jersey City, NJ. We design and run programs — field days, seasonal sports sessions, school partnerships, and community events — that use the language of sports to teach kids the skills that actually carry them through life: self-awareness, teamwork, resilience, communication, and responsible decision-making.

We're grounded in the CASEL framework — the gold standard for social-emotional learning — and we bring it to life through movement, games, and real-world challenges that kids actually want to show up for.

Our tagline is "Beyond the Ball" — because the goal was never just to score. The goal has and will always be to grow.

From the Pitch to the Classroom to This

I grew up on a soccer field, but my foundation was built long before I stepped onto a Division I pitch. My father, a former college baseball player, was my first coach in the truest sense. He didn’t just teach me the mechanics of the game; he instilled in me a relentless sense of discipline. He showed me that talent is only the starting line—it’s the work you put in when no one is watching that actually carries you across the finish line.

That discipline took me to the Division I level at St. John’s University in Queens, where I learned what it meant to deliver in the moments that matter most. One of my proudest memories in a Red Storm jersey was scoring the "Golden Goal" in the 104th minute of the BIG EAST Quarterfinals to defeat Georgetown—a moment that sent us to the semifinals for the first time in program history and taught me everything I needed to know about persistence and staying composed under pressure.

I carried that same drive into the semi-professional arena, where I helped lead the Long Island Fury to the WPSL National Championship. That season, I was honored with the Golden Ball (MVP) after scoring the game-winning goal in the semi-finals and the opening goal in the championship match.

These experiences shaped everything about how I see the world. Sports taught me discipline before I knew what discipline was. Sports taught me how to lead and how to show up when I didn’t feel like it.

When I transitioned into teaching—14 almost 15 years ago in the NYC public school system, —I watched students struggle with the exact same things I’d learned through sport: emotional regulation, confidence under pressure, and how to work with a team to achieve a common goal.

So I built a bridge. Doza Sports is that bridge—between the field and the classroom, between movement and mindset, and between playing the game and understanding what the game is actually teaching you.

What You'll Find Here

This blog is going to cover a lot of ground — because so do I. Here's what you can expect:

• Youth Sports & SEL: Drills, games, and activities that build social-emotional skills. Practical tools for coaches, parents, and educators who want to go deeper than the scoreboard.

• Behind the Business: The real talk on what it's like to build a company from scratch — while teaching full time, navigating partnerships, and figuring it all out as you go.

• Active Mom & Entrepreneur Life: Workouts, style, gear, healthy habits, and the honest chaos of being a woman with big goals and a full life. This includes my favorite finds — sports equipment, athleisure, entrepreneur tools — many of which you can shop directly.

• Community & Events: Recaps, highlights, and lessons from Doza Sports events as we grow our footprint across Jersey City, NYC, and beyond.

• Resources for Parents & Educators: Recommendations, reviews, and guides for anyone raising or teaching kids who are finding their way through sport and life.

A Note on Affiliate Links

Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my links — at no additional cost to you. I only share products I genuinely use and love. Your support helps keep Doza Sports going, and I'm always grateful for it.

Let's Connect

If you're a parent looking for enriching sports programs for your child, a school or camp interested in partnering with Doza Sports, or just someone who stumbled in here and felt a little seen — you're in the right place.

Find us everywhere:

• Website: dozasports.com

• Instagram: @dozasports

• Pinterest: @dozasports

• Email: Tmendoza@dozasports.com

Welcome to the team. Let's go beyond the ball — together.

— Tara, Founder of Doza Sports

© 2026 Doza Sports LLC · Jersey City, NJ · dozasports.com · Beyond the Ball