Holden Youth Soccer’s Unified Teams bring together athletes with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). They compete side by side with the same drills, expectations, and drive to win. In November 2024, that shared commitment carried the team through the State Cup and onto the national stage at the Special Olympics USA National Games.

Holden Unified Soccer is part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports program, which brings together on the same team athletes with and without IDDs. The guiding principle is known as meaningful involvement - a philosophy that demands every player’s active contribution to the team’s success, both on and off the field.

For longtime coach Steve Jaslowich, that philosophy is simple.

“We coach it like any other soccer team,” Jaslowich said. “Same expectations. Same drills. Same competitive mindset.”

That approach has paid off.

In November 2024, Holden Youth Soccer’s Unified “Team 2” qualified for the Special Olympics USA National Games, winning its division in the Special Olympics Massachusetts State Cup at Governors Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. The defining moment came in a tense match against Monson, with a last-minute game winning goal from Chad Plouffe.

At the time, the players did not realize that their accomplishment had secured their place on the national stage.

The realization came later, when Special Olympics Massachusetts President and CEO Mary Beth McMahon delivered the news through a video message from New England Revolution defender Andrew Farrell; announcing that Holden was chosen to represent Massachusetts in the Special Olympics in Minnesota.

The news was followed by an outpour of screams, high-fives, hugs and praise for their team mascot Jerry the Owl.

Founded in 2018, the program has grown to roughly 35 athletes and Unified partners, becoming a cornerstone of Holden Youth Soccer. Jon-Paul St. Germain, a Holden resident, former Holden Youth Soccer president, and Special Olympics International staff member, has seen firsthand how Unified Sports changes communities.

“This is about building networks,” St. Germain said. “Learning through sport, guided by clear challenges and shared goals, becomes the difference - not only for the players finding confidence and purpose on the field, but for parents watching their children be seen, and fully included.”

For players like Remy St. Germain, the experience goes far beyond wins and losses. “The excitement I feel watching my teammates score is the same joy I get watching Messi score in the Major League,” he said. “Nothing is as universally unifying as sport.”

Over the past several years, fundraising efforts through Special Olympics Massachusetts, like the annual Polar Plunge, have helped the program cover the cost of competition for events such as the annual State Cup. Those efforts will continue as the team prepares for a busy spring and summer.

With the team’s recent success, members are committed to raising funds to help cover the expenses necessary for their upcoming journey to Minnesota in June to compete in the Special Olympics. Any donations can be made here: https://fundraise.specialolympicsma.org/campaigns/2026-USA-Games--Mars-Burke – or scan the QR code

Until then, team events include a training camp and team-building weekend from February 27 through March 1 in Marlborough, followed by the Guinness Celtic 5K in Worcester on March 15. All of this leads up to the ultimate destination: Minnesota, where the team will compete in the Special Olympics USA National Games from June 20-26, an event held just once every four years.

With the National Games ahead, Holden Unified Soccer continues to be guided by the same principle that defines the program: meaningful involvement. A model built on shared responsibility and competition where athletes earn trust, contribute to outcomes, and win state finals. W