Trained by Spurs, coaches conduct orientation programme

The orientation programme was followed by an exciting 11-a-side unified football match, which celebrated the unified spirit of the Special Olympics as the coaches and special athletes came together as team-mates.

Delhi Dynamos FC (above) players hurdle during a match against FC Pune City. (Representational Image).

Coaches from Special Olympics (SO) Bharat and Indian Super League (ISL) side Delhi Dynamos FC, on Monday, took part in a special orientation programme followed by an 11-a-side unified football match, aimed at promoting development of special athletes.

The first day of the two-day celebration saw SO Bharat coaches, who have been trained by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, conduct a special orientation programme called ‘Football for Social Change’, which was aimed at teaching a total of 15 coaches from Delhi Dynamos FC about how to involve, promote and upgrade sports skills of special athletes.

The orientation programme was followed by an exciting 11-a-side unified football match, which celebrated the unified spirit of the Special Olympics as the coaches and special athletes came together as team-mates.

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“We are delighted to see the work we have been doing with SO Bharat, for a number of years, now, is coming to fruition and enabling the organisation to engage with clubs like Delhi Dynamos and impact upon more coaches in the region to the benefit of even more Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities,” said Nikki Kelly, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

“It’s a great initiative that Special Olympics Bharat and Tottenham Foundation have taken and we are delighted to be a part of it. At Delhi Dynamos our aim has always been to encourage athletes to take up sports,” said Delhi Dynamos CEO Ashish Shah.

Special Olympics and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation have a long-standing partnership, which is driven by a common goal to create social change through the power of sport.

They have reached out to 2,200 SO Bharat Coaches and provided skill development opportunities to 30,000 Special Olympics athletes in the country.

The project encourages SO Bharat to engage with football clubs in India, along with a variety of other football industry stakeholders to enhance impact, eventually improving the quality of coaching being made available to footballers at the grassroots.