Special Olympics athletes to play alongside Houston Dynamo FC during Signing Day 2023
HOUSTON - Major League Soccer's Unified season kicks off Tuesday, where Special Olympics athletes will get to sign contracts to play alongside Houston's finest soccer players.
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According to a press release, Houston Dynamo Football Club (HDFC) will host its annual Unified Team Signing Day at 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the Lexus Club at Shell Energy Stadium. There, organizers say Special Olympics athletes will sign two-year contracts to join the team.
The program is meant to cultivate inclusion and in each season, one Special Olympics athlete and one Unified partner are selected to represent their MLS club during the all-star week.
"Leveraging the power of sport, MLS WORKS, ESPN, and Special Olympics have teamed up to promote an environment of social inclusion, which is aligned with the League's Soccer For All platform," the release explains. "Cornerstone to the collaboration is the Special Olympics Unified Sports® Soccer Exchange Program, uniting individuals with intellectual disabilities (Special Olympics athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (Unified partners) as members of one team."
Alex Singer, the general manager for Dash, the Houston women's soccer team will be in attendance as well as players from both teams for the contract signings.
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