What is
Project Inspire?

Project Inspire is a national nonprofit establishing the United States’ inaugural year-long soccer competition tailored specifically for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Changing Sports in the Intellectual Disability Community

Project Inspire’s Mission

Soccer is the world’s most universal, accessible mainstream sport. That means every player is free to continually compete, improve, and chase greatness, right? Not quite. While society is still in the early stages of adapting to people with all kinds of disabilities, those with less visible impairments (i.e., intellectual, developmental, etc.) typically face more difficulty in receiving inclusive services than those with physical deficits.

Our project is dedicated to the welfare of athletes who, until now, have never had the opportunity to compete on the same stage as the players they’ve always admired. At its heart, Project Inspire is about making soccer accessible to all, culminating in greater emotional, social, and physical wellbeing within the community.

Meet the Project inspire founders

Meet the creative forces behind our story, two lifelong soccer enthusiasts and players united by chance and a deep love for the game. Co-founders Nil Vinyals and João Gomiero both landed in the U.S. to play soccer at the university level, before beginning their professional careers in the sport where they ultimately met in 2022.

Nil Vinyals

From Barcelona, Spain, Nil Vinyals has spent his entire life in the soccer environment. His experience lies largely under the umbrella of FC Barcelona, having played on academy teams in his youth and working for Barça Academy, the official training program of FCB in the United States, upon graduation from college. In Spain, he spent time with ACELL, the Catalan Sports Federation for the Intellectually Disabled, and volunteered in the Special Olympics through the Johan Cruyff Foundation, aiding in instruction and supervision of athletes.

In 2014, Vinyals journeyed to the U.S. to join the men’s soccer team at small-town Tennessee’s Union University, where he stayed one year before transferring to Division I Winthrop University outside Charlotte, NC to continue his collegiate career. He has since played professionally for Tormenta FC (Statesboro, GA), Richmond Kickers, and Spokane Velocity. He also worked as a coach for Tormenta FC academy and Richmond United (Richmond, VA).

João Gomiero

João Gomiero, out of São Paolo, Brazil, also faced new beginnings in the U.S. in 2014. Recruited by Coker University, Gomiero quickly found his footing in the world of American soccer, and realizing the abundance of opportunity to make change while growing as a player, he decided to plant roots. After college, his playing career has been spent with semi-professional team North Carolina Fusion (Greensboro, NC) where he has a background of volunteer work with the North Carolina Special Olympics, and professional team Richmond Kickers where he served as a coach for the Richmond United academy and volunteer for RVAccess.

The Founder’s story

With several years of coaching experience and volunteer work within the disabled sports community, they have developed a mutual commitment to social responsibility within their craft, a calling which came into focus in 2023 when they were roommates and players on the same team in Richmond, Virginia. The conception of Project Inspire happened when they attended an event for RVAccess, an outreach organization under the Richmond Kickers program designed to create recreational opportunities for children and young adults with intellectual disabilities to come together for friendly play several weeks a year. An athlete in the program approached Vinyals and Gomiero after one of the sessions, energetically asking the question that started it all—”When can I play for the Kickers with you guys?” It was in that instant they knew they needed to take action. Witnessing the raw joy of the participants ignited in them a desire to give back to the community in a way that is meaningful, lasting, and expansive.

Still continuing in their professional playing journeys, Vinyals and Gomiero are dynamic individuals living out their passion on and off the field. Their dedication to manage the full scope of running a nonprofit organization on top of a career is a testament to their relentlessness in pursuing equitable soccer for all.

Advisory Board

Since its inception, Project Inspire has cultivated a diverse team of individuals committed to building the foundation and reaching as many communities as possible, each bringing unique talents and expertise from their fields.