SPECIAL OLYMPICS SUTTON COLDFIELD (SOSC)

Sport, friendship, personal development, self esteem and inclusion for those with learning and physical disabilities

About Special Olympics Great Britain

Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) is a non-profit organisation and provider of year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults of ALL abilities with intellectual disabilities also known as learning disabilities.

With a competition pathway designed to nurture and progress athletes from local competitions through to accessing elite level competitions, our focus at Special Olympics GB is on ability not disability and providing opportunities for our athletes to compete with others at similar levels both at home in Great Britain and abroad.

Special Olympics GB is so much more than just a sport organisation – we genuinely transform lives. Through sport we provide opportunities for our athletes to make friends, learn social skills, feel part of a community, increase confidence and self-esteem, realise potential, develop physical fitness and mental well-being, demonstrate courage and experience joy and pride. And above all, for both athletes and their families – to have some FUN!

Special Olympics GB is part of the global Special Olympics International organisation which is the largest disability sports organisation in the world. As a global movement Special Olympics reaches 5.7 million athletes across 200 countries. Together we want to inspire real change by raising awareness of intellectual disability, ending discrimination, and building an inclusive world for all.

About SOSC

SOSC welcome athletes of all backgrounds and ages with learning difficulties, including those with physical disabilities, from Sutton Coldfield and the north of Birmingham.We are passionate about sport as a means to provide inclusivity, friendships, personal development and self esteem.

We have a broad spectrum of abilities across our group, we have won leagues and medals at local and regional level. Whilst we promote development and competition, we celebrate all of our athletes achievements. Some of our proudest moments have been helping athletes overcome huge obstacles to get to the start line and participate, irrespective of their results. We know how hard the journey can be.

Our core values are inclusivity, enabling sporting and personal development, friendships and developing self esteem. We have a supportive culture irrespective of ability or results, played in a sportsmanlike manner, gracious in victory and defeat.

We currently focus on four core sports to allow for a broad range of abilities and needs.

Football Training

We have two football teams competing in Birmingham leagues. Training is between 17.30 & 19.30 on Wednesday in Sutton Coldfield. League Matches take place on a Saturday.

Table Tennis Training

We participate in local and regional table tennis competitions, playing singles and doubles. Training takes place in Sutton Coldfield on a Wednesday night 19.30 - 21.00.

Badminton Training

We participate in local and regional tournaments, with athletes playing doubles and singles matches. We train between 19.30 and 21.00 on a Wednesday in Sutton Coldfield

Boccia Training

Our boccia team compete at local and national level, and we also organise and host a regional Boccia tournament, of which we are very proud. Boccia training is on a Thursday night, 18.00 to 20.00.

Volunteers

Volunteers who join us gain new skills, perspectives and experience while improving the lives of others.

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds and ages.

Our volunteers include many people without coaching qualifications, a sporting background or experience working with people with learning and physical disabilities.

We offer coaching and training to help you develop those skills, what you bring are the desire to learn and develop, consistency and empathy.

We support volunteers wishing to obtain coaching qualifications in our core sports.

All volunteers working with our athletes have Enhanced DBS certificates.

Volunteering at Special Olympics makes a difference to some of the most excluded from our society

Those with learning difficulties are amongst the most excluded from society. They struggle to gain employment, and to participate and belong in society.

Special Olympics helps address that by enabling them to develop friendships, skills and self esteem, to travel and participate. Sports training and the challenges of individual and team competition, helps our athletes mature and develop new skills.

Through sports, our volunteers provide our athletes with more confidence, self esteem and life skills, friendships and belonging.

Volunteering and its benefits.

Volunteering provides many benefits to you. You can develop new skills and experiences, friendships, reduce stress, become more active and gain coaching experience and qualifications.

Volunteers report an increase in self esteem, mental health and well being. Working with those with learning disabilities helps develop the empathy, communication and social skills of our volunteers. It is a challenge, but it will reward you more.

The skills you develop at Special Olympics are transferrable to the workplace and volunteering is an attribute on a CV.

"Volunteering at Special Olympics reduced my stress whilst I was juggling a demanding job (and long hours) with caring for a disabled child. Having a complete change of focus and pace gave me time to reset every week and adjust my work life balance. I have developed a profound respect for our athletes, their ability to face their challenges and their ability to keep on smiling."

Stuart Finnes, Chairman SOSC.

Support SOSC

We recognise that our athletes are amongst the most socially disadvantaged in society. To enable all to participate we provide our athletes with facilities, training, equipment and transportation to events. We welcome donations and sponsors to help continue our work to improve inclusivity and make lives better.

None of our volunteers or coaches receive any remuneration other than expenses.