Ontario Soccer Celebrates #IDPD 2024
The United Nation’s day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life - including sport.
Play. Inspire. Unite.
Today, Tuesday December 3, is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD).
The United Nation’s day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life - including sport.
This year at Ontario Soccer, we are marking #IDPD 2024 by looking back at some of the great events, competitions, celebrations and stories featuring persons of disabilities in the Ontario soccer community.
Circle K All-Abilities Festivals
After re-joining the Ontario Soccer partner family as a Premier Partner and the exclusive title partner of Ontario Soccer’s Grassroots Program, Circle K, in collaboration with Ontario Soccer, successfully hosted and supported seven grassroots themed soccer festivals this summer – including Accessible Soccer Festivals. Supporting participants of varying abilities, these one-of-a-kind (FREE compliments of Circle K) festivals were designed for youth with special needs, physical disabilities or developmental disabilities.
Circle K’s 2024 summer festivals came to a resounding conclusion on a beautiful September Saturday afternoon at the Newmarket Soccer Centre in Newmarket, where Circle K hosted its third and final Accessible Soccer Festival.
The Newmarket Accessible Soccer Festival was a star-studded event with special guests in attendance including MP Tony Bynen, MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, York Region Soccer Association Vice-President Vince Tersigni, and Ontario Soccer’s Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Misley, and Senior Director, Business, Bjorn Osieck. Other dignitaries in attendance from the Newmarket Soccer Club included: James Sewell, Kevin Small, Ingrid Venturini, Pouya Karami, Christina Pereira, Kamran Tavalla, Kevin Johnson and members of the 2009 girls team.
To learn more about Circle K’s work with Ontario Soccer in grassroots soccer, visit ontariosoccer.net/cirklek.
Learnings in Accessible Soccer - An England Perspective
The 2024 Ontario Soccer Summit was the biggest and best Summit to date. Co-hosted by York Region Soccer Association at the beautiful York University, the seventh edition of the Ontario Soccer Summit brought members of the provincial and national soccer community together for a weekend of learning and professional development.
As is customary, the event was headlined by world-renowned keynote speakers and sport leaders catering to every sector of the soccer world - Coaches, Match Officials, Administrators, Business Professionals, and even players with the addition of MilkUP's Youth Summit.
Learnings in Accessible Soccer - An England Perspective, was a key session from this year’s event that delved into the background of session leader, Joe Dixon from YP Academy, an elite England deaf para athlete with 10+ years of international playing experience in multiple countries across the world. Joe has a proven track record in developing athletes at all levels of the game through successful proven methodology and psychology practices – aspects clearly demonstrated in his presentations.
Joe held two session at the 2024 Ontario Soccer Summit - one in-class and one on-field – both of which were fully captured by Ontario Soccer for the community to benefit from, even if they could not attend the Summit.
To view Joe’s sessions, and to learn more about the Ontario Soccer Summit, visit the links below:
"Ontario Soccer recognizes the growth in soccer for players with disabilities, most encouraging is the participation of players at the grassroots level. Greater representation is also being seen at the international level through events such as the Paralympic and special olympic games.
Ontario Soccer encourages and supports the work of its Districts and their Member Clubs in their efforts to offer playing opportunities to our whole soccer community. Those interested in participating are encouraged to contact their local District Association for advice on Programs in their area."
Patty Forbes, Senior Director, administration
2024 Club Recognition Centre Circle Award
Last September, Ontario Soccer proudly recognized 19 exceptional individuals and organizations from across the province at the prestigious 2024 Centre Circle Awards – presented by Nothers - the Award Store.
Erin Mills Soccer Club was awarded the Club Recognition Award this year for their efforts to grow the game and promote inclusivity. Their All Abilities Soccer Program offers soccer opportunities for children and youth with intellectual and physical disabilities. Additionally, the She’s an Eagle mentorship initiative aims to increase female representation in coaching, while the Girl Power program fosters confidence and skills in young female athletes. The Club also works with local schools to remove barriers to participation and offers a "Mini Eagles" program for children as young as 18 months.
The annual event, held this year at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga, celebrates the remarkable contributions to the growth and development of soccer in Ontario. The Centre Circle Awards are Ontario Soccer's highest honour, paying tribute to those who demonstrate outstanding commitment, leadership and dedication to the sport at the provincial and national level.
To learn more about the Centre Circle Awards and the 2024 awardees, visit the links below:
BMO Women’s Soccer Day
This year’s MilkUP Ontario Cup featured Women’s Soccer Day where we teamed up with Special Olympics Ontario and premier partner BMO Bank of Montreal, for this one-of-a-kind experience. From skills and drills to exciting scrimmages, this event brought more than 50 women together to celebrate soccer!
Similar to Circle K mentioned above, BMO hosted six grassroots themed events across Ontario, through the BMO Girls Play ON! program, in what has been a summer of grassroots soccer festivals in Ontario! With its debut season in 2023 having been a huge success, the ground-breaking BMO Girls Play ON! program made a hugely successful return to four different regions across Ontario this summer.
BMO Girls Play ON! is an innovative girls’ soccer and leadership development program, engaging girls through coaching and playing opportunities. The program creates a safe and inclusive environment, where girls can enjoy a social setting, play the game they love, learn about coaching, and mentor/mentee with women coaches and facilitators.
Ontario Soccer and BMO are excited to be part of a welcoming and inclusive new program, and are looking forward to fostering many positive outcomes for the participants. These outcomes include an active lifestyle choice for girls and women, certified youth women leaders and coaches at the club and community level, a shift in mentality around what opportunities are available, and most importantly, inspired girls and women.
To learn more about BMO's commitment to gender equity in soccer, see the links below:
To learn more about Ontario Soccer’s work in all-abilities soccer, visit ontariosoccer.net/allabilitiessoccer
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