Players, coaches and famous football names get behind Special Olympics ‘Faces of Football’ campaign

These last eight months of pandemic have deprived us of our lives as we knew them, but among all our routine, one might have been hit the hardest: our freedom to move. Athletes were particularly badly hit as training and games were cancelled across the world. Among them, athletes with intellectual disabilities became even more vulnerable due to the lack of activity and social interaction, with more repercussions on their personal lives. A recent Special Olympics survey found that people with intellectual disabilities across Europe reported a lack of access to basic necessities: 20% of athletes surveyed did not have enough food and 15% did not have a safe place to live while 37% of school-aged athletes did not have access to education or remote learning. Meanwhile, 75% of athletes across the region felt more isolated during Covid-19.

One recent campaign has been working to counter the risks of isolation among football players with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Europe Eurasia launched the #FacesofFootball campaign and digital hub in mid-September, supporting footballers with intellectual disabilities to continue training remotely and to stay connected to their teammates, coaches, and fans. The platform allows athletes to keep on training by watching tutorials online, talk to their teammates, get organised into teams, and build an international community of athletes with intellectual disabilities and their supporters. 2,700 participants from more than 50 countries have signed up so far for the campaign, boosting a unique platform and idea with sheer enthusiasm.

The initiative, designed to replace the in-person matches and tournaments of this year’s Special Olympics European Football Week, has not gone unnoticed among star players of the game.

In a live webinar from his current home in the US, former Italy captain and Juventus star Alessandro del Piero commended the initiative, saying it was an important step to maintain engagement with those so often left on the sidelines: “You are all doing an important job, especially now. I also want to send a huge hug to all the people involved in Special Olympics and to all the families who look after their children. Good luck to all of you and congratulations!”

Ireland and Everton captain, Seamus Coleman also added his words of support saying that such online connectivity was vital during the virus pandemic: “Faces of Football gives football players with and without intellectual disabilities across Europe the opportunity to come together, train and compete in the game they love without ever leaving their own home or garden. Everyone is welcome and everyone is included. Even though we’re not physically together on the pitch or in the stadium, to me, this is the perfect example of the inclusive power of sport.”