Football Federation SA and Special Olympics SA joined forces last month to host a Special Olympics Gala Day at Rostrevor College.

Over 150 kids from nine schools participated in the World Cup Soccer Day, including Cardijn College, Hamilton, Kensington Centre, St Patrick’s Special School, Pasadena, Riverland Special School, Mt. Barker, The Grove and Suneden.

Each school represented a country and participated in matches in a ‘round robin’ format, while a number of skill sessions were conducted by FFSA Staff assisting participants with heading, passing, turning, shooting, juggling and dribbling exercises.

Participants earned points during the skills sessions which were collated at the end of the day along with match results to determine which school/country was the winner.

Former Adelaide United strikers Lloyd Owusu and Cristiano assisted with specialist coaching while FFSA Game Development Officers Geoff Hargreaves, Angus Wheaton and Scott Hockenhull were also on hand to help and promote Football Federation Australia’s ‘Football for All’ month of June, aimed at inclusive programs for footballers with disabilities.

“It was great to see such a large group of young people learning new skills and truly enjoying football. We will be looking to hold more activities and develop more regular programs for children with disabilities in the near future,” said Hockenhull. 

Nicolle Hancock from Special Olympics SA also applauded the event.

“We would like to thank FFSA so much for all their assistance with the event. The day turned out to be a huge success and the coaches were incredible,” she said.

Private Healthcare Provider Bupa cater for all participants on the day, providing free lunch and refereshments.

For more information on FFSA’s Inclusive Football Programs contact Jono Ruse on 8340 3088 or info@ffsa.com.au