Football (Soccer) Coaching Guide
This guide is designed to help you become a better Football coach.
Football (Americans call it soccer) is generally considered to be the world's most popular team sport. Played in just about every country, the sport's success is due to the fact that it can be played by boys, girls, men and women of just about any physical build and ability. Football requires little in the way of specialized equipment and is organized using simple, intuitive rules.
Benefits of Football
Football is a particularly appropriate sport for individuals with intellectual disability.
Football:
- Involves all of the participants constantly;
- Is easy to teach and immediately rewarding to play;
- Allows relatively rapid initial improvement in skills and basic game understanding;
- Is a great conditioning activity.
Above all, football is fun.
The wonderful thing about football is that you do not need to be an expert to begin coaching. You just need enthusiasm and a commitment to learn the basics. With some guidance, anyone with time and interest can become a successful Special Olympics football coach and help athletes with intellectual disability join the worldwide football family.
Football Events
Football competition is based upon athletes' ability levels. Following is a summary of those competition offerings.
- For athletes with lower ability, who do not have the readiness for direct, face-to-face offense and defense, competition is offered in individual skills competition.
- For athletes with average to moderate ability, competition is offered in modified team competition. The game is played in a smaller area and with a few modified rules. This game is simpler to understand and provides the transition from individual skills to traditional team play.
- For athletes with higher ability, competition is offered in traditional 11-a-side team play and Special Olympics Unified Sports ® football.
- For the actual football events offered, see the Official Special Olympics Sports Rules for Football.
Acknowledgements
Special Olympics wishes to thank the professionals, volunteers, coaches and athletes who helped in the production of the Football Coaching Guide. They have helped fulfill the mission of Special Olympics: to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people eight years of age and older with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
Special Olympics welcomes your ideas and comments for future revisions of this guide. We apologize if, for any reason, an acknowledgement has been inadvertently omitted.
Contributing Authors
Venisha Bowler, Special Olympics, Inc.
Floyd Croxton, Special Olympics, Inc., Athlete
Wanda S. Durden, Special Olympics, Inc.
Mark Hanken, Special Olympics Oregon
Dave Lenox, Special Olympics, Inc.
Eddie Meechan, Special Olympics Australia
Paul Rosin, Special Olympics Colorado
Jon-Paul St. Germain, Special Olympics, Inc.
Special Thanks To the Following
for Your Support
Special Olympics Virginia
Starring Athletes from Special Olympics Virginia
David Sutton
Darryl McCain
Kara Conaty
Samantha Errico
Vincent Woodhouse
Charles Silfies
Melissa Rowe
Emily Wilt
Devin Cameron
Richie Gregory
Katie Blind
Corey Sullivan (Unified Sports Partner)
Coaches from Special Olympics Virginia
Courtney Buffington
Jim Boyd
Phillip Redman
Nicole DeCandia
Special Olympics Asia Pacific
Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia
Special Olympics North America