![athlete smiling holding medal next to teammate](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3f3f43a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x675+0+0/resize/800x450!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2Fff%2F46%2F5f761ba54b08b3fb4115723bfe98%2Fspecialolympics-footballkenyaawards-20230624-2851.jpg)
The work sport has done and continues to do for Special Olympics athletes to promote development and peace all over the world is helping to further inclusive communities for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD).
Over the past nine months, Nike sponsored a Coach+ initiative called the Nike Unified Football Leagues Development project, providing coaches with additional training and growth opportunities. Additionally, the project sought to provide more leadership opportunities for women in the form of coaching—with this, these coaches were empowered to be role models, educate themselves and progress in their abilities and skills.
329 coaches participated in instruction designed to better include girls and women, with and without intellectual disability, to participate in football (soccer). 5 of the coaches who participated are part of Special Olympics: Susan David (Special Olympics Namibia), Marijana Obradovic (Special Olympics Serbia), Iveny Smara Reyes Puente (Special Olympics Chile), Jerussa Kangwana (Special Olympics Kenya) and María Fernanda Rossell (Special Olympics Guatemala).
![Woman standing in front of people sitting on bench](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/196d4fb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x675+0+0/resize/800x450!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2Fc5%2F5b%2Fcac665d84f858c7725ddb2ca2986%2Fsog-maria-2.png)
“I continue to coach because I want to see fellow young females to be inspired and join the world of sport.”
Education
The Nike project provided the tools, guidelines, educational resources and platform for the coaches to learn from one another’s experiences. Through Nike’s funding of the project, participants received personalized feedback and had the opportunity to learn from coaching professionals who addressed areas of success and improvement when trying to make various drills and training more inclusive for athletes. One important lesson was understanding how impactful a coach’s guidance can be on the outcome of a sporting event, player or game. “I believe continuous learning is key to staying updated with the latest coaching techniques, strategies, and inclusive practices and since I recently just joined coaching there is so much to learn” voiced Susan Davis.
The participants, supported by Nike project facilitator Coach+, were able to engage a team of experienced coach developers with rich knowledge of coaching. These developers assisted in guiding the coaches in creating sustainable training education programs, resources and learning opportunities, which will not only benefit the cohort of coaches involved in this project, but also those who join the program in the future.
![athletes in matching training kits at practice](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b69a9ad/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x540+0+0/resize/800x360!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F53%2F43%2F5ad75a794f65a504d12941c2f34c%2Fsok-jerussa-4.jpg)
Breaking Down Boundaries
The expert knowledge of Coach+ will help to break down gender and social stereotypes women in sport continue to face today. An article from iSportConnect states, “Changing cultural attitudes towards gender roles and stereotypes have contributed to the acceptance and normalization of women’s participation in sports. Efforts to challenge traditional notions of femininity, promote diversity and inclusion, and celebrate athleticism in all its forms have created more supportive environments for girls and women to participate in sports and pursue their athletic aspirations.” With the increased education and awareness newly gained by David, Obradovic, Puente, Kangwana and Rossell, these coaches can now relate to and accomplish more together as they work to grow the sport of football in each of their respective Regions.
“I want to see these female athletes achieve their goals and expose their talent. I also want the community to accept athletes fully.”
Social Impact
For Special Olympics athletes, skills learned from their respective coaches are carried over into their daily lives including interactions with friends, families, at work and in other settings. The influence of a Special Olympics coach goes beyond trainings and competitions. Without their continued efforts to develop athletes on and off the field, Special Olympics would not be able to achieve all that it has in the realm of inclusion thus far.
Not every footballer or football team wants to compete at the highest or most competitive levels, but there are reasons athletes continue to return to practice and compete week-after-week. A good coach can set up a training environment, a great coach makes that environment fun, drills exciting, learning new skills a desired achievement and so much more. Coaches support Special Olympics Programs around the world by knowing their athletes, their abilities and their goals. Personal knowledge allows the coach to understand the desires of each athlete and help them create a training regimen that enables the athlete to work towards achieving that goal.
“The most important thing in this work is to know each athlete, to know their limitations, to know their skills and to always remember that each one is unique. Because sometimes, the mistake that a coach often makes, is to consider everyone as the same,” shared María Fernanda Rossell (Special Olympics Guatemala)
![Group of girls and coach with all hands in standing in a circle.](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5fc6695/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x675+0+0/resize/800x450!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F0f%2F10%2F9fff92bb4b82be118d7cfbe69e58%2Fimage.jpg)
Support and Growth
After the Nike Coaching project concluded, the coaches were excited to implement what they had learned into their local Programs. David shared, “The experience instilled in me a profound understanding of inclusive coaching methodologies, honing my ability to adapt training sessions for athletes with diverse abilities. Overall, the Nike project has not only boosted my confidence as a coach but has also equipped me with a versatile set of skills, positioning me well for coaching endeavors in the future with a strong emphasis on inclusivity and community building.”
Special Olympics Kenya’s Jerussa Kangwana was already able to implement what she learned even before the project was over by getting more athletes to join her local Special Olympics football team. “I am now ready to coach Special Olympics athletes. I will be courageous, and I will help them to discover their own strengths and abilities and encourage them build upon those strengths and improve day by day.”
Through Coach+ and the support of Nike, these five Special Olympics coaches, plus the other 324 participants, now have a better mindset, skillset and leadership abilities when coaching their athletes. The remarkable impact the coaches will collectively have on thousands of athletes around the world will be undeniable. Additionally, the Nike project has provided countless opportunities for girls and women to take part in football trainings and competitions, benefitting their health, fitness, social lives and all-around wellbeing. The tireless efforts of coaches remain at the heart of Special Olympics’ success and making sure our athletes are able to do, and be, anything they dream of.
“I will take with me the importance of team participation, the importance of regular trainings, and the importance of educating young female athletes about the significance of taking part in sports and looking after their health. Their equal inclusion in all aspects of society and their exchanges with athletes without ID is also a very important part of what I will be continuing to work on.”
Special Olympics coaches bios
![Coach Iveny Smara Reyes Puente, Special Olympics Chile](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/74bb3e7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x800+0+0/resize/800x800!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F93%2Fd3%2Fcacc59dd4f45b21fcbf519671fc6%2Fsochilecoach.jpg)
![Coach Iveny Smara Reyes Puente, Special Olympics Chile](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/231c66b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x500+0+0/resize/800x800!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F1a%2F10%2F1a35c3a9480496abade8c12f59c1%2Fscreenshot-127.png)
![Coach Jerussa Kangwana. Special Olympics Kenya](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/38f2f72/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300x300+0+0/resize/800x800!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F21%2F28%2F98b4193b43b4a07d0c41fcd5b22d%2Fjerussa.jpg)
![Coach Marijana Obradovic, Special Olympics Serbia](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c038da7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300x300+0+0/resize/800x800!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2Fd0%2F9f%2Ff500c5ae4445aff9a929b4a56c12%2Fimage-2.jpg)
![Coach María Fernanda Rossell, Special Olympics Guatemala](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/17bdac0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x600+0+0/resize/800x800!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F17%2F04%2Fc8ccc9354849bf1ec97d31145029%2Fmaria-rossell-saravia.jpeg)