With Special Olympics European Football Week now underway, Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) has welcomed MK Dons Community Trust to its network of more than 100 clubs using sport to create a world where people with intellectual disabilities are seen, valued and taken seriously.
As the official charity of the EFL club, which recently secured promotion to League One, MK Dons Community Trust is already making significant strides in expanding football opportunities for local people with an intellectual disability.
Running regular pan-disability sessions every Sunday at Wroughton on the Green, 17 athletes recently competed in the programme’s first Special Olympics GB tournament, hosted by Special Olympics Cambridge Football Club and played in a six-a-side format. The squad also competed in Saturday’s Charles Culwick Memorial Tournament hosted by Special Olympics Essex
Looking ahead, MK Dons Community Trust hopes to send athletes to Birmingham for their first-ever 2026 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games football competition at the end of August.
Georgina Fielden, Inclusion Officer at MK Dons Community Trust, said: “We are so grateful for the opportunity to compete at our first Special Olympics competition, just over 25 years after inclusion football was founded in Milton Keynes.
“This club is a lifeline to our athletes. Without it, opportunities to play football in an organised environment would be non-existent and the life experiences, friendships and skill development opportunities would vanish.”
This year’s Special Olympics GB National Summer Games will be the first since 2017 and will create opportunities for around 1,200 children and adults with an intellectual disability. The new hybrid format will see eight single-sport competitions staged across England, Scotland and Wales, culminating in a multi-sport showcase in Birmingham from 27–30 August.
Football is one of seven sports set to feature in Birmingham, with the mixed seven-a-side tournament taking place at the Alexander Stadium campus, which hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Conor McBrearty, Football Development Manager at Special Olympics GB, said: “This year’s competition at the National Summer Games will be the biggest football event that Special Olympics GB has hosted for several years.
The number of athletes participating in football has grown by more than 300 per cent in the last year and we now have 24 accredited Special Olympics GB clubs providing opportunities in the sport across the country.
“It’s a very exciting time for football at Special Olympics GB movement and we’re thrilled to welcome Milton Keynes Dons Community Trust, along with its athletes and coaches, into the movement.”
Special Olympics GB became The FA's third Disability Partner in 2023 and was included in its subsequent Disability Football Strategy, Football Without Limits, which was released in 2024. Since then, as part of The FA’s Grassroots Football Strategy the parts are working together closely to increase participation and establish and competition pathway for children and adults with an intellectual disability, whilst also supporting coach development in order to provide the best possible