Promoting Social Inclusion Through Sport
Special Olympics is dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability. That makes practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Having sport in common is just one more way that preconceptions and false ideas are swept away.
Many high-profile, professional sports organizations and events have also showcased Unified Sports as a vehicle to show the power of inclusive sports! This support includes:
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
National Collegiate Athletic Association, D-III
ESPN's X Games Aspen
National Federation of High Schools (NFHS)
National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA)
CURRENT PROGRAMS - FALL 2025
Special Olympics Florida Unified Soccer League – Fall 2025
Hosted by Sporting Jax Soccer Academy
Location: Veterans Park Field 6 (Turf), 1332 Veterans Parkway, St. Johns, FL 32259
Cost: Free
Program Overview
This inclusive and engaging league brings together Junior Special Olympics Florida Athletes
(ages 12–18 with intellectual or developmental disabilities) and Unified Partners (ages 12–18
without an intellectual disability) to promote teamwork, friendship, and competition through
the game of soccer.
Program Structure
- Season Dates: October 5 – November 9, 2025
- Game Time: Sundays from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
- Teams: 4 teams total (24 athletes and 16 partners)
- Fields: Two fields will be used. Each team will have half a field for practice, and one referee will oversee game play
- Week-by-Week Schedule
- October 5: Coaching and Partner Training (4:30–5:30 pm), followed by team practice
- October 12: Team Practice
- October 19: Practice followed by a game (30-minute running clock)
- October 26: Practice followed by a game (30-minute running clock)
- November 2: Game
- November 9: Final Game and Awards Ceremony
- November 16: Rain Makeup Date (if needed)
Registration and Paperwork
- Registration Opens: August 2025
- All Forms Due: September 18, 2025
- This includes forms for athletes, partners, and coaches
- If athletes have a valid medical form from a previous season, no new form is needed
- Returning partners and coaches who already submitted forms last season do not need to resubmit
- We will contact you if any updates or additional forms are needed
Coach and Partner Training
- Date and Time: October 5, 2025, from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
- Location: Veterans Park Turf Field
- Training will be led by Special Olympics Florida staff
