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“It’s a great sport where you can come in and make new friends – just a great experience really”, said one of the participating athletes. Photo: Courtesy of Special Olympics Great Britain
First Unified Football "Come and Try" Event hosted in Great Britain with over 100 athletes participating.
Athletes and Unified Sports® Partners from Devon and Torbay regions in the South West of Great Britain were invited to take part in the regions first Unified Football Come and Try event. Over 100 Athletes and Unified Partners took part in the day, which was organised and supported by students from the South Devon College.
Best known as the manager of the England national football team, and as manager of Watford, a club he took from Fourth Division to First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the second division to the Premier League in two seasons two decades later, former England Football Manager, Graham Taylor OBE,commented “I have great respect for what this college is putting on and is doing!”
Lawrie McMenemy MBE, Special Olympics Great Britain Chairman and former colleague of Graham Taylor, was also in attendance and supported the event, inspiring newcomers to Special Olympics. “This today is the beginning of something that will carry on forever”, said Lawrie McMenemy MBE.
The day, which was a great success, will lead to the further development of Unified Football in the South West region. The aim of Special Olympics Unified Sports is to break down social barriers between individuals with and without intellectual disabilities by bringing them together on teams for sports training and competition. “It’s a great sport where you can come in and make new friends – just a great experience really”, said one of the participating athletes.
The opportunity to play sports can have a pivotal impact upon Special Olympics athletes themselves but the impact on those who participate alongside them can be profound too. For this reason, The Vodafone Foundation (VF) made an investment of £500,000 in Unified Football over three years. Through this partnership, Special Olympics aims to encourage the development and effective delivery of Unified Football projects to young people between the ages of 14 and 25 in six countries across Europe: France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Maureen Rabbitt
Director, Communications for Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia
mrabbitt@specialolympics.org
+353 1 6755715
Nolwen E. Grassin
Communications, Athlete Leadership and Organizational Development
ngrassin@specialolympics.org
+32 2 536 09 15