GREAT BRITAIN: Tottenham Hotspur Supports Unified Football

Tottenham Hotspur Manager Harry Redknapp and the Club’s striker, Robbie Keane attended the first leg of a Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) Roadshow  to promote Unified Football®.  The event which took place on Thursday 30th April, was hosted by the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, at the Football Club’s training ground.

“Football plays an important role in bringing people together. Special Olympics Unified football is about providing the opportunity for everyone to play whatever their ability and taking part is key”, said Keane. Special Olympics Unified Football® combines players with and without learning disabilities on the same football teams to play and compete alongside each other in a fair and formal format. The goal is to break down barriers in the community, promoting the full inclusion of learning disabled youngsters whilst encouraging social interaction between them and others.

The Special Olympics Great Britain Unified Football® Roadshow successfully kicked-off with a warm welcome from the former Spurs midfield legend and Co-Chair of Special Olympics Global Football, Ossie Ardiles.   Eight students with learning disabilities aged 16-25 from the College of North East London alongside 13 non-learning disabled volunteers from corporate partners: National Grid and FitFlop enjoyed three-hours of Unified Football training and competition sessions, led by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation coaches.

All participants had the opportunity to find out about what a learning disability is and to participate in Unified Football; the sessions provided a real chance to understand and be a part of Special Olympics and its activities.

Photo: Tottenham Hotspur Manager Harry Redknapp with athlete from College of North East London. (Photo courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation)