Dozens of female athletes from across Alberta hit the field in Edmonton this weekend for a milestone development camp.
Thirty-one Special Olympics Alberta athletes tested out their soccer skills for the first Women in Soccer: Development and Awareness Camp.
The camp aims to help spark the growth and development of women’s soccer at a provincial and national level.
“This is starting to build the female program because Special Olympics Canada has made female team sports a priority,” said Edmonton’s Special Olympics soccer coach Amanda Trenchard. “Once the athletes know there is that team environment for females, more come out and more stick with it.”
The current Special Olympics program is co-ed, with the new camp looking to help women break through in the sport.
“We've just seen athletes blossom, become leaders within themselves instead of being overshadowed or in some cases when they play with the guys a little scared, a little intimidated. This has been awesome, some of the athletes are just shining,” said Trenchard.
Over 3,200 athletes are a part of Special Olympics Alberta in over 150 communities.
