By: Sean Connolly Columbia SC Mar 6
Charlotte FC, Special Olympics, and MLS are taking a major step to expand the game in the Carolinas with the development of multiple teams under the Charlotte FC Unified umbrella. CLT FC is looking to establish four Unified teams (Columbia, Greenville, Winston-Salem, Charlotte) in 2023. After meeting the coaches there is a HUGE passion within CLT FC for the Unified teams to succeed. The goal of MLS Unified teams is to “…[promote] social inclusion through shared soccer 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.”
CLT FC Unified will host tryouts and give those who make the team a unique MLS style experience. The four CLT FC Unified teams will play other MLS Unified teams in home and away matches during the 2023 season as well as friendly matches against the other CLT FC teams. In this writer’s opinion the health of our sport has an amazing foundation and will continue to grow. The heart of the game is on full display with CLT Unified team(s). As a fan gets to know the players he/she can see their confidence level increase. CLT FC Coach Kevin Sims commented “…as our athletes’ confidence increases on the pitch so does their confidence increase off the pitch”. At the end of the day, soccer is exactly that - building self-confidence and being part of something that is bigger than one’s self. The soccer team is the best place to watch hard work pay off by successfully achieving individual and team goals on and off the pitch. Southern Pitch will be covering future games of CLT FC Unified and continue to highlight the benefits of Unified sports.
To learn about upcoming Tryouts in Columbia, SC and other areas please follow the attached link: https://www.charlottefootballclub.com/community/unified-team
Comments