Coaches

The final webinar of the 2023 Coach Webinar Series, presented by Gallagher. This webinar was all about being adaptable as a coach and keeping adult athletes engaged in a challenging environment. This webinar was hosted by football referee and Special Olympics Washington Athlete Leader, Garrett Utz. Garrett has officiated at 1 USA Games, 2 Unified Cups, and 2 World Games. Garrett also holds multiple leadership positions and is also an Athlete Advisor for the Sport and Competition team in Special Olympics International. Garrett was joined by Gallagher’s Scott Gregory who sits on the board of Special Olympics Southern California and is an active Special Olympics coach. Thomas Graham from the Newcastle United Foundation gave us an overview of the development of their walking football programme and how this could be applied to Special Olympics contexts. Ken Black, co-founder of the Inclusion Club, then presented on the STEP Model (Space, Task, Equipment, People) and how to adapt your coaching to continually challenge athletes no matter the ability level. To close out the webinar, there was a very passionate and inspiring message from Special Olympics supporter and former US Men’s National Team player and current Vice President of Sporting for US Soccer, Oguchi Onyewu.

At the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026, Special Olympics coaches spent most of their time plotting against one another’s teams.

In Minnesota, about 13,000 volunteers filled around 19,000 shifts during the USA Games.

As the Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress Chair, Kiera Byland has helped ensure athlete voices are heard at the highest levels of the movement.

For Special Olympics Costa Rica Head Coach Mariana Molina, every training session, every match, and every opportunity is about so much more than the final score.

Coach Molly Underly and Special Olympics USA battled Special Olympics Namibia to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, adding another chapter to a tournament that has already included a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan and a 6-0 loss to Guatemala.

In this series, meet the athletes, Unified partners, coaches, and officials whose journeys to Paris are filled with determination, friendship, and inclusion.

On the University of Minnesota campus, the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games is showcasing 16 sports, and 3,000 athletes from across the country are here to win one thing—gold.

The first Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa Regional Unified Coach Training marked a powerful milestone, bringing athlete leaders and coaches together in a unified learning environment and preparing athletes to step confidently into coaching roles.

The first Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa Regional Unified Coach Training marked a powerful milestone, bringing athlete leaders and coaches together in a unified learning environment and preparing athletes to step confidently into coaching roles.