The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Soccer program is a game-changer for youth
Atlanta United Unified unique opportunity for special needs athletes.
Brendan Jagielski can forever boast about an exhilarating experience on the Atlanta United soccer field at Mercedes-benz Stadium.
While the 29-year-old is not a professional soccer player, he is a passionate player of the game and scored a goal for his team at the stadium in October when he kicked the ball and it bounced off his opponent before going into to the net.
“The alarms went off,” Jagielski said. “It feels amazing to be on that field.”
Jagielski plays for the Atlanta United Unified team as well as North Fulton Unified. Both are sports programs for players with special needs.
In that October game, Jagielski helped lead Atlanta United Unified to a 3-2 win against Inter Miami CF Unified. It was the last match of the season and first win for Atlanta United Unified since 2017.
They accomplished the victory in the midst of cheers from a crowd that included players from Atlanta United, including goalie Brad Guzan, who is a team ambassador, as well as team executives.
And while it was the culmination of a season of friendly exhibition matches, for Jagielski’s teammates it resonates like a championship win, said Marty Jelleme, coach for Atlanta United Unified and the North Fulton Unified program. Soccer is more than a game for the players, Jelleme added, it’s changing their lives.
“All of a sudden they are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone,” Jelleme said of the difference he’s seen in participants.
Jagielski, who lives in Johns Creek, is one of several players from the North Fulton Unified soccer program who earned roster spots on the Atlanta United Unified team in early 2021 following tryouts.
Players on the roster range in age from 16 to mid-to-late 20s and play the game with seven players on each side of the field.
And while some participants have more experience than others, all levels of skill are on the playing field where the fun of the game is giving teammates confidence and skills that they never expected to have, Jelleme said.
In both programs, players on each side are joined on the field by able-bodied athletes called partners who help move the game along the field and assist with setting up plays. The partners are high school and college soccer players.
Jagielski said he played soccer in high school but the experience in the North Fulton Unified program raised his confidence. In 2022 he’s transitioning from player to an assistant coach for the Atlanta United Unified team, Marissa Ahrens, director of community engagement for Atlanta United, said.
He’s a natural when it comes to encouraging players, she said, and will be the first player to become team coach.
“I make friends and we work as a team,” Jagielski said of soccer. “I enjoy it because I can help improve people’s game. I like the inclusion and want others in the game to feel that we are all on one team.”
North Fulton Unified soccer grew from the sports program Special K’s. Athletes in Special K’s play basketball, tennis, golf and more sports and compete in Special Olympics Georgia.
Jelleme and his daughter, Randi, introduced soccer to the Special K’s in 2015 and it became increasingly popular. Randi, a Georgia Tech senior, played soccer in high school.
Jelleme, who is also a soccer coach for the Special K’s, was third place finalist for Special Olympics Outstanding Coach North America this year.
North Fulton Unified launched with one team and now has 12 teams, 120 participants and 25 coaches, Jelleme said. There is no fee for athletes to join and play. The program receives support through community donations and sponsors such as Coca-cola.
The coach said part of the pleasure he gets from the sports program is seeing parents’ excitement while watching the games.
“The joy on the parents’ faces ... it’s just amazing,” he said.
Stephanie Robinson said her 19-year-old daughter Kelly’s confidence has skyrocketed since she started playing soccer about four years ago.
“It seriously was life-changing,” Robinson said.
Because Kelly’s disability is not apparent, Robinson said, her daughter found it hard to fit in with students during high school and would sit alone in the cafeteria.
“When you meet her now she is nothing but a smile all the time,” Robinson said.
North Fulton Unified players recently tried out for the 2022 Atlanta United Unified team and will find out in March who made the roster, Ahrens said.
The event will have glitz similar to a professional signing day, she said.
“It’s a big day for the club,” Ahrens said.
Jagielski said he has great excitement about soccer in 2022.
“It’s not all about winning,” he said, reflecting on October. “It’s about enjoying the sport.”