Our Vison : Inclusion through sports

NPO TRACOS aims to develop a diverse and inclusive society where everyone, regardless of impairment, communicates empathically and respectfully. To that end, we have been building a community where children and adults with and without developmental disorders respect and value each other through soccer. 

As an operator of soccer schools and a soccer club, our mission is to offer people with developmental disorder environments in which they can play soccer spontaneously, to promote their participation in society, and to pursue the principle of inclusion through sports.

In order to carry out our mission, reaching out to individuals and society is crucial.   We organize special events that unimpaired individuals participate in as players and volunteers to raise awareness and understanding.

Our Role : Where people with developmental disorders feel like they belong

Problems Children with developmental disorders Face

Children and adults at TRACOS Soccer School and FC TRACOS have developmental disorders. developmental disorders, also known as learning difficulties and learning disabilities, are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavioral areas. These conditions begin during the developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime.

One of the problems children with developmental disorders have is that they are all too often denied participation in sports. This is because team sports require communication ability as well as athletic ability. These requirements deprive children with developmental disorders of many opportunities to join sporting activities and play with other children. As a result, these children often get less physical activity than typically developing children. Besides being often excluded or rejected, they may feel a sense of shame, isolation, low self-esteem, anger, fear and anxiety.

Their parents can feel the same way too. In addition, parents of children with developmental disorders may occasionally have hesitant feelings towards participation in sports because their children could possibly cause ‘trouble’ when they play sports or play in a playground with other unimpaired children. Then, when they want to go to sport events for children with developmental disorders, many other people can look coldly at them on their way there. When seeing a boy talking excessively, screaming and jumping around in the train, how many people would think that it is because of developmental disorders? When the child looks no different to children without developmental disorders, many might think it’s because of bad parenting. It is reported that one of major causes of stress that parents of children with developmental disorders feel is social attitudes towards them and lack of understanding for the problems they and their families experience.

Children with developmental disorders just want to play sports like other children do, and their parents want to give them physical activity opportunities, but unfortunately there are currently many barriers for them.

Our Mission and Role

A bridge between people with developmental disorders and people without disabilities

In order to carry out our mission, "Inclusion through sports ", reaching out to individuals and society is essential.  No matter how hard we support people with developmental disorders, barriers they face remain unless society accepts them.  Aiming to raise awareness, we organize events that people without disabilities participate in as players, volunteers and supporters so that they can get to know about developmental difficulties/disabilities through playing sport together.

 An Ibasho for people with developmental disorders

Children with disorders tend to give up joining physical activity, some have negative feelings towards sport while exercise is one of important factors affecting child’s growth and development. 

TRACOS creates opportunities for children with special needs to play soccer, which helps them to build up their health, to acquire sociability and to learn cooperation and more importantly, to help them find sport fun.

Besides these opportunities to build up their health and build their social skills, we’ve also created an “Ibasho” (places they feel like they belong) for them.  Many people with developmental disorders say that it’s hard for them to be anywhere with others, or they can’t find their Ibasho. Some of our young students/members felt the same when they got out into the world. Whether you have disorders or not, having a place you belong with just encourages you. We’d like to continue to be their Ibasho, even after they grow up.

Organizational Profile