Union Omaha and Forward Madison FC, in conjunction with Special Olympics Nebraska and Special Olympics Wisconsin, announced today the continuation of the Unified Soccer Series. The Unified Soccer Series is the first of its kind within the United Soccer League (USL), consisting of two matches, one in Omaha, Neb. and one in Madison, Wis. featuring Special Olympics Unified teams from both states. The matches, scheduled for June 24 in Omaha and August 12 in Madison, will be played at Werner Park and Breese Stevens Field respectively. Both matches will occur around the USL League One matches those nights.
The Special Olympics Unified Sports program focuses on promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences and joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Teams will be established through each state’s Special Olympics program in the coming months. The Forward Madison Unified Team will be hosting a tryout on Sunday, April 2nd from 1-4pm at Breese Stevens Field in Madison. The Union Omaha Unified Team will be hosting a tryout on Sunday, April 23rd from 4:30-6:30pm at Papillion Landing in Papillion, NE.
“The enthusiasm and skill on display in the Unified Series last year was inspiring, and we’re thrilled to continue this first-of-its-kind series with Forward Madison,” Union Omaha General Manager Peter Marlette said. “I expect us to put together another talented team and look forward to retaining the trophy.”
“We are looking forward to continuing the Unified Series in 2023,” Forward Madison COO Conor Caloia said. “To see the energy, passion, and overall love for the game that was displayed last year was truly something special and something that we want to build off of for years to come.”
“We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to partner with such a special club in Union Omaha and to continue our rivalry series with Special Olympics Wisconsin and Forward Madison FC,” Special Olympics Nebraska President and CEO Carolyn Chamberlin said. “Our Special Olympics Nebraska athletes have thrived with the opportunity to play on such a stage, and we anticipate an even bigger impact for everyone involved in year two. Unified Sports brings people and communities together in such a way that I know our athletes in both Nebraska and Wisconsin will inspire us all to achieve greatness.”
“Forward Madison has been such an awesome partner to promote inclusive communities on and off the pitch,” Special Olympics Wisconsin President & CEO Chad Hershner said. “This rivalry series with our Nebraska friends bolsters both organizations’ commitment to inclusion across sport, and we are excited to battle for the cup in year two!”
For more information or to reach media contacts for each respective organization, please utilize the list below:
- Union Omaha: Morgan Hobbs, Marketing Coordinator; morganh@unionomaha.com
- Forward Madison: Evan Warwick, Director of Public Relations; warwick@forwardmadisonfc.com
- Special Olympics Nebraska: Amanda Mancuso, Development & Media Manager; amancuso@sone.org
- Special Olympics Wisconsin: Jennifer Wagner, VP of Marketing & Communications; jwagner@specialolympicswisconsin.org
