At the National level, Athletes Without Limits will support the league, teams, players and families by helping players confirm their National eligibility as players who meet the criteria for Intellectual Disability — we are very excited to announce that Project Inspire will cover the $175 application fee for all players in the League!
At the International level, Athletes Without Limits has been organizing US National teams competing at Virtus World Championships, Regional Championships, and Global Games for high performance athletes with intellectual impairments in sports like Swimming, Taekwondo, Tennis, Track & Field and others since 2009. We are excited to work closely with Project Inspire to select the first ever US National Soccer Teams to compete at upcoming Virtus events from Project Inspire players and coaches!
Project Inspire is more than a league—it’s a movement for inclusion. We believe in the power of sports to break down barriers, foster friendships, and empower individuals to play the sport they love, regardless of their ability. Here, athletes with intellectual disabilities get the chance to compete at the highest level possible for their city, grow, and thrive on and off the field just like the pros do. Together, we’re building a community where everyone belongs, where everyone matters, and where every game is a celebration of resilience and potential. Join us as we create a space for passion, teamwork and competition that inspire us all.
League Requirements:
Inspire League will be conducted under a single mixed-gender category with the following three conditions for players:
Virtu
s is the International Federation that represents athletes with intellectual impairments in high level sport including the Paralympics. They also host World Championships in 14+ sports. As the US Member of Virtus since 2009, Athletes Without Limits helps US athletes navigate Virtus and Paralympic eligibility — we also identify and create opportunities for athletes with intellectual impairments to reach their highest level in sport and in life…
In addition to having your eligibility confirmed for Project Inspire and potential selection to US National Soccer Teams competing at Virtus World Championships, lifetime Virtus eligibility also opens the door to competing in other sports offered by Athletes Without Limits, Virtus International or even Paralympics! Some organizations that require and recognize Virtus eligibility include: U.S. Paralympics, US Para Swimming, USA Track & Field, USA Table Tennis, Move United, The Boston Marathon/10k/5k, World Taekwondo, the USGA’s U.S. Adaptive Open Golf Championships and many more!
BEGIN ONLINE PLAYER APPLICATION FORM
We’ve created an online application specifically for Project Inspire Teams. Just click the button above to get started!
The eligibility application is set up for individuals, with a place to indicate which Project Inspire team the athlete plays for. We recommend athletes and their parent or guardian work on their own individual online application together since signatures are needed which can be electronically signed and all documents can be uploaded in a private HIPAA-compliant form.
If the application for a player needs to be a Team Coach you can select that option on the application form. Gather the necessary attachments and enter all the information you can on the form. We’ll then generate a PDF you can have the athlete or parent/guardian sign later.
1) Players Headshot
2) Players Passport or State ID
3) Evidence of Intellectual Disability:
Players with Intellectual Disability:
Past psychological assessment(s) with IQ & Adaptive Behavior results.
Players with Down Syndrome:
Cytogenetic report from birth & previous neck x-ray for AAI
*we recommend including past IQ & Adaptive Behavior assessment.
Players with Autism:
Past psychological assessment(s) with IQ and Adaptive Behavior results — also include report(s) where Autism diagnostic assessments were used.
Part 1: Application Contact
Part 2: Athlete Information
Part 3: Diagnosis & Evidence
Part 4: Parent/Guardian Information
Part 5: Athlete/Parent Release Forms & Electronic Signatures
Yes! After you get started completing the application if you’d like to save your progress and resume working later click the SAVE button at the bottom of the form – note that you will be prompted to create a Jotform account with your email address to do this.
In addition to meeting League requirements of being age 16 and older and having a Special Olympics soccer skill rating of 3 or higher, players must also meet same eligibility criteria used for the Paralympics. That is players must meet the World Health Organization criteria for Intellectual Disability:
1) IQ of 75 or lower, and
2) Significant Limitation in at least one domain of Adaptive Behavior, and
3) Onset before age 22.
There are two Virtus documentation pathways to confirm Intellectual Disability:
• II1-Players with Intellectual Disability (including Autism with Intellectual Disability) provide IQ and Adaptive Behavior reports
• II2-Players with Down syndrome (Trisomy21 or Translocation) provide their cytogenetic report and AAI neck scan and release form.
Players with Intellectual Disability including Autism with Intellectual Disability (IQ 75 or lower) need to provide psychological reports with IQ and Adaptive Behavior assessments.
National Eligibility required to play in the Project Inspire League can usually be confirmed using a wider range of previous assessments such as: WISC, WAIS, Stanford Binet, CTONI-2, KAIT, KBIT-2, Leiter-3, RIAS, SIT-R3, TONI-4, UNIT, etc for IQ. And ABAS or Vineland for Adaptive Behavior (BASC can also be helpful).
International Eligibility needed for future selection to US National Soccer Teams competing at Virtus events requires Internationally-accepted IQ and Adaptive Behavior assessments given within the last 5 years. For IQ Virtus accepts WISC, WAIS, or Stanford Binet (short WASI is not accepted). For Adaptive Behavior Virtus accepts: ABAS, Vineland, or AAMR.
Because it’s known that intellectual disability is associated with Down syndrome, players with Down Syndrome (Trisomy21 or Translocation) can provide a copy of their cytogenetic blood test from birth and a copy of their previous neck X-ray report for Atlantoaxial Instability (AAI).
Players will need to have their doctor sign the Virtus AAI Release form. This will be emailed to you after you submit your initial online application (or you can download it here to get a head start!)
Players with Autism are eligible for Project Inspire if they also meet the criteria for Intellectual Disability and have an IQ of 75 or lower. (This is true for approximately 60% of people on the Autism spectrum.)
They should provide the same IQ and Adaptive Behavior documentation listed above under What exact documentation is needed for players with Intellectual Disability? and include a copy of their original and/or other Autism diagnostic reports.
For players with an IQ of 76 or higher see Are players with Higher Functioning Autism Eligible? below.
In alignment with Paralympic eligibility rules, Project Inspire Soccer League is only open to players with Autism who also have Intellectual Disability (IQ of 75 or lower). While Players with Higher Functioning Autism are not eligible for Project Inspire in the US, Athletes without Limits and Virtus events do offer this competition group (called Virtus II3) in a variety of sports so we recommend applying anyway to explore emerging opportunities!
Players with Autism should provide any IQ and Adaptive Behavior assessment reports they’ve had as well as a copy of their original and/or other Autism diagnostic reports. The following Autism diagnostic tools are accepted by Virtus at the International level:
• AAA (Adult Asperger Assessment)
• ADOS/ADOS2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule)
• ADR-I (Autistic Diagnostic Interview – Revised)
• ASRS Autism Spectrum Rating Scales
• CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale)
• DISCO (Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders Framework)
• GARS (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale)
• RIMLAND (Autism Diagnostic Instrument)
• ISAA (Indian Scale – ages 2-9 only)
Some players may need to arrange to have new IQ and/or Adaptive Behavior assessments (Vineland or ABAS) with a local psychologist in order to confirm either National or full Virtus International eligibility. Your local Soccer Team may be able to help make arrangements in your area. Athletes should apply with documentation from previous reports and we’ll let you know if new assessments will be needed.
We typically review new applications Nationally in 2-4 weeks.
Once you hit ‘submit’ Athletes Without Limits will review your application and will email the application contact to let you know if any additional information is needed or if we’ve posted the athlete to our National US Soccer Eligibility List.
Once your application has everything needed for International eligibility we’ll endorse it send it to Virtus for confirmation. It can take an additional 4-12 weeks to hear back from Virtus, who assigns confirmed athletes a unique Virtus Athlete Number recognized by event organizers around the world.
We’ve tried to make our online application self-explanatory and recommend you start the application to see if your question gets answered as you go. If you still have trouble please use our Contact Athletes Without Limits form to reach out. For those interested in getting your team involved, or for questions about the soccer league itself you can inquire from the Project Inspire website.
As the US Member of Virtus Athletes Without Limits oversees eligibility for US athletes with intellectual impairments competing in: Virtus and Paralympic Competition.
Athletes with intellectual impairment need your support to reach their highest levels in sport.
