Omar Alvarez had spent much of his life as a football instructor in Puerto Rico when his twins, Lorenzo and Dario, were diagnosed with autism. That day, with his children as inspiration, he began creating a methodology which, through football, could help them deal with this condition.
His initiative eventually led to the creation of Golitos in 2011, a foundation whose goal is to tackle autism. It does this through an adapted sports programme, which aims to develop the physical, emotional and social skills of children and adolescents with autism, using football as its main tool.
The bet winner Foundation, which provides financial support to Golitos through its Community Programme, participated in one of the organisation’s sessions on Saturday 7 May. These sessions harness the power of football to counter the diminishment of social skills, restrictive and repetitive behaviours, cognitive delays, motor impairments as well as the social and communication difficulties that can affect those with autism.
At the same time, Golitos seeks to maximise the skills and abilities of each participant by understanding the complexity of the diagnosis and the variability of its symptoms, while working with the potential of each individual. Through support networks, it also helps parents and family members to manage a variety of everyday situations arising from autism.
Golitos, which has an arrangement with the Puerto Rican Football Federation, is a pioneering organisation in the country and has expert professionals who are Special Education Teachers with Certification in Autism. They work with football coaches, who instruct them in basic skills such as dribbling, ball control, shooting and playing as a team.
It should be said that both the teachers and coaches at Golitos have participated in the training course run by the Football for Schools programme, especially since the former often have little or no football experience. This aligns with one of the main elements of Football for Schools, which is to develop inclusive football.
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 07: Dougal McGowan, CEO of Football South (L) talks with Fatma Samoura bet winner Secretary General (R) at Logan Park as part of ...
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 07: Dougal McGowan, CEO of Football South (L) talks with Fatma Samoura bet winner Secretary General (R) at Logan Park as part of ...
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 07: Dougal McGowan, CEO of Football South (L) talks with Fatma Samoura bet winner Secretary General (R) at Logan Park as part of ...