PSG For Communities' "Onze de Légende" ("Legends XI"), an inclusive football team, participates in first-ever K LEAGUE Unified International Cup in South Korea
From August 29 to September 3, young beneficiaries of the PSG For Communities' "Onze de Légende" program will travel to South Korea to participate in an exceptional tournament centered around inclusion. Organized by the K LEAGUE (1), the South Korean professional football league, and Special Olympics Korea (2), the K LEAGUE Unified International Cup aims to demonstrate that football is a sport accessible to everyone.
Since 2021, the flagship "Onze de Légende" program of PSG For Communities has been promoting inclusion by bringing together teams of autistic and neurotypical children. Each week, these children train in Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine) and Poissy (Yvelines), supervised by professionals, with the goal of playing with the club’s U9 team at the end of the year. In May 2024, the think tank Sport and Citizenship awarded the program the Social Impact Sport label, recognizing its role in promoting integration through sport.
The "adapted team" of Onze de Légende will consist of 8 players with disabilities and 6 able-bodied players, including three apprentices from PSG For Communities.
Fabien Allègre, Vice-President of PSG For Communities: "The participation of the Onze de Légende team in this tournament in South Korea demonstrates the importance of this programme, which promotes inclusion and tolerance. We are proud to see this programme, which was initiated and developed entirely by the PSG for Communities teams, go international. Inclusion and autism know no borders and we are delighted to be part of this K LEAGUE initiative."
The children will be supported by a Parisian delegation consisting of Laurent Rocco, Head of Projects and Operations at PSG For Communities, Anthony Laigle, PSG For Communities Coordinator, a coach, a medical staff member from the IME Saint-Cloud, and three specialized educators. By joining the K LEAGUE's efforts, Paris Saint-Germain and its foundation PSG For Communities will help make this international sporting event a joyful and inclusive celebration for all participants, promoting teamwork and mutual support—key values of the club.
More about PSG For Communities
1: https://www.kleague.com/
2: Founded in 1968 , Special Olympics is a global organization that serves athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year.