Toms River East Soccer Coach, Brother Honor Late Father with Push for Park Upgrades

Walt Konopka was an original employee of Major League Soccer when the league played its first season in 1996, and his finance job with the league was a defining part of his professional life. Beyond his profession, though, Konopka made a major impact in his hometown of Toms River, where he blended his passion for soccer, service, community and family.

Now, Konopka’s two sons are spearheading an effort to make the soccer complex named in his honor match the legacy of the man for whom it is named.

Toms River East varsity boys soccer coach Mike Konopka and former Major League Soccer veteran Chris Konopka have launched a community-driven fundraising effort to renovate the newly renamed Walter F. Konopka Soccer Complex at Oak Park in Toms River, according to a press release by the Konopka brothers. In addition to being one of the first employees at MLS, Walt Konopka was also a beloved coach and administrator. He passed away suddenly in 2021 at the age of 65.

“Simply, the sport of soccer in Toms River and America is better off because Walt Konopka gave so much of himself for it,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said upon Walt’s passing in 2021.

The brothers are seeking to raise $300,000 to overhaul the facility — which has been a cornerstone of youth soccer in Toms River for more than three decades — with new goals, benches, bleachers, fencing, netting, landscaping,and other upgrades designed to improve the player and spectator experience.

On December 19, 2023, Toms River Township officially renamed Oak Park in honor of Walt Konopka.

“This project is especially close to my heart because it gives me a chance to give back to the community where my love for soccer — and my journey — first began,” Chris Konopka said. “Soccer has taken me so many places and given me so much throughout my professional playing and coaching career. But no matter where the game has led me, Toms River has always been home. Seeing the township recognize my father’s lifelong contributions to the game by renaming the park in his honor means more to me than words can express.”

According to the Konopka brothers, InSight Engineering designed the current renovation plan, which includes new goals, team benches, bleachers, netting behind each goal and a chain-link fence around the perimeter. The design also includes updated walkways, signage and landscaping around the fields, plus a new gazebo/picnic area near the existing snack stand.

“As a coach for over 20 years in Toms River, I see firsthand how much these renovations will benefit the local community,” Mike Konopka said. “When the township approached us about renaming Oak Park in honor of our father, it couldn’t have been a more fitting place. This is where he coached my brother and me growing up — and where I’ve had the privilege of coaching his grandson, my son — right up until the moment he passed. It’s truly a full-circle moment for our family.”