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Athletes with a Disability
The Saskatchewan Soccer Association strives to give all participants the opportunity to achieve their goals through participation in soccer, including participation opportunities for athletes with disabilities.
Want to play soccer in Saskatchewan? Contact any of our Member Organizations to get involved. Not sure who to call? Contact us so we can put you in contact with the right organization.
A Guide to Inclusive Soccer
Offering Soccer to Athletes of all Abilities
Soccer is one of the most popular sports throughout the world. It brings people from different backgrounds together to enjoy and share a mutual passion. Involvement in soccer, as well as other forms of physical activity, has the ability to improve a participant’s quality of life in a variety of ways. Soccer is a great sport for athletes with disabilities because it is a sport that can be easily adapted to meet participants’ abilities and needs, no matter their chronological age.
This Guide has been written with three user groups in mind:
- parents, guardians, caregivers or supporters of a player with a disability,
- coaches who have athletes with disabilities on their team,
- Member Organizations who are looking to welcome athletes with disabilities onto their teams or into their organizations.
SSA hopes that this guide will provide useful strategies, knowledge, and tools to get athletes of all ability levels involved in soccer and to provide the best possible playing experiences. Be assured that much of this guide could be used in any coaching session as it is about athletes having fun while developing in a positive and supportive environment.
To view the Guide to Inclusive Soccer click here.
Para Soccer
Are you an athlete with cerebral palsy? You could play for Team Canada in international competition! Soccer's official Paralympic sport is for athletes with mild cerebral palsy, brain injury or who are recovering from stroke. To accommodate the abilities of the athletes and to make the game more exciting, the game has slight modifications such as a smaller field, smaller nets, no offside rule, etc. Learn more about by watching this short video!
To be identified, contact Drew Ferguson, Head Coach Canada's Para Soccer Team
For more information, visit:
Canada Soccer
The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sport Association
Athletes with Ambulant Disabilities
Athletes who utilize wheelchairs play with a large ball that is “kicked” by foot guards that are screwed onto the players’ power chairs.
For more information, visit:
Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports
Parasport Equipment and Club Development Grants in Saskatchewan
Athletes who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
In 2011 the Canadian Soccer Association and the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA) founded the Canadian Deaf Soccer Program.
Players who are interested in the program must:
- Have a hearing loss of at least 55dB in the better ear (3-tone frequency average at 500, 1000 and 2000 hertz, ISO 1964 standard)
- Be a Canadian citizen
- Be a member of a provincial deaf sports association
For more information, visit: Canadian Deaf Sports Association
For Saskatchewan-based sports for the deaf and hard of hearing, contact Saskatchewan Deaf Sports Association:
Facebook: Saskatchewan Deaf Sports Association
Email: pamelarustoen@gmail.com
Athletes who are Blind or Partially Sighted
The Saskatchewan Blind Sports Association promotes and facilitates organized sport for persons who are blind or partially sighted, by advocating for sport inclusion, creating awareness and delivering sport programs. They offer a variety of sports including bowling, curling, goalball, golf and lawn bowling.
For more information, contact:
Saskatchewan Blind Sports Association
510 Cynthia Street, Saskatoon, SK, S7L 7K7 Canada
Ph: (306) 975-0888 or Toll Free 1-877-772-7798
Email: sbsa.sk@shaw.ca
Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities
For an athlete to participate in Saskatchewan Special Olympics, he or she must have an intellectual disability and reside in Saskatchewan. The Special Olympics offers many sports including bowling, aquatics, athletics, floor hockey, skating, curling, skiing, basketball, softball, soccer, and many more! Saskatchewan Soccer is a proud partner of Special Olympics Soccer, which has teams participating in Saskatoon, Regina, Humboldt, and other locations across Saskatchewan.
For more information, contact:
Special Olympics Saskatchewan
Training Athletes with Disabilities
Are you a coach or parent who is working with an athlete with a disability?
- The Long-Term Player Development - Players with Disabilities resource provides an overview of disability soccer and presents a long-term development pathway to Canadians stretching from grassroots community soccer to international competition.
- No Accidental Champions: LTAD for Athletes with a Disability describes some of the opportunities and challenges that face persons with permanent disabilities in pursuing sport and physical activity. This document explains how the Canadian sport system can best accommodate the needs to increase activity and achievement through Long-Term Athlete Development.
Updated August 2, 2018