In its first season, the volunteer-run team has flown across the country, built friendships and set a model for inclusive sports in Rock Hill.
By Natalia Barthel
Staff Writer
Sports
Winthrop University now fields a team in the Inspire Soccer League, the first nationwide, year-long competitive league for athletes with intellectual impairment, and the team is changing what sports look like for the Rock Hill community.
“This team is about so much more than soccer,” said Mikaela Sites, the Inspire team lead at Winthrop. “It’s about creating opportunities for athletes to challenge themselves, build friendships, develop confidence, become part of a team and experience things they may not otherwise experience.”
Sites helps lead the team and recruits students in WinthropLife, which is the university’s program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. LIFE students live on campus, take classes and work in the community as they earn a certificate. Several of them play for the team, and Sites said athletes outside the program have also expressed interest in joining the team.
Training began over the summer, with Winthrop’s women’s soccer team and coaching staff helping to launch the program through initial training sessions and recruiting. Winthrop soccer alumni are also volunteering as coaches to support the team through the season.
“One of the strengths of our coaching staff is the variety of backgrounds and experiences that each person brings to the program,” Sites said. “Our head coach has a background in psychology, some of our coaches have personal connections through loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and many of our staff members have extensive experience playing or working in soccer.”
All coaches complete SafeSport training and background checks, and the team has started working with a local sport psychologist to support athletes’ well-being.
“Coaching this team requires more than just knowledge of the game,” Sites said. ”It requires
patience, adaptability, effective communication and an understanding that every athlete has different strengths, needs and abilities.”
For some athletes, this season has been a collection of many firsts. Sites said players flew on an airplane or stayed in a hotel for the first time as the team traveled. Her own first trip with the team, to Spokane, Washington, showed her how much the league means to its athletes. She was able to meet players from all across the country and watched as staff and volunteers cheered for every single participant.
“There is a wonderful balance between competition and community,” Sites said. “The athletes take tremendous pride in representing their teams, and there is a strong level of competition, but it never comes before sportspersonship or supporting one another.”
Sites called the first season a proof of concept. “We hope people recognize that these athletes are not simply participating in soccer for the sake of recreation; they are competitors, teammates and representatives of Winthrop who deserve the same opportunities to grow, compete and benefit from sport,” she said.
Athletes play at no cost, and the team works to keep it that way. Winthrop set a $30,000 operating budget, and a grant from the Inspire Soccer League covers part of it.
The team raises the rest of their funding through donations in sponsorships. “We want to ensure that finances are not a barrier preventing our athletes from participating and having these experiences,” Sites said.
Businesses and organizations can become sponsors or offer in-kind support, and individuals can donate. Community members can also show support by helping to spread word about the team.
The team plans to keep growing, reach more athletes and establish Winthrop and Rock Hill as leaders in inclusive athletics.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have built during our inaugural season, but we are just getting started,” Sites said.
Fans can see the team at home Nov. 21-22 at the Eagle Field, when Winthrop hosts its first fixture, which includes the league’s All-Star Game and Championship Weekend. The team will share ticket and event details on Instagram at @winthropISL. Anyone who wants to join or support the team can email Sites at sitesm@winthrop.edu.
