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Nico Calabria, an amputee soccer player and captain of both New England Amputee Soccer and the U.S. National Amputee Team, pulled off an incredible DOUBLE crossbar challenge – earning $2,500 for New England Amputee Soccer in the process.
Moments later, he led New England to a 5-0 win over Metro NY.
Nico is an elite athlete, coach, teacher, and advocate for disability sport.
Born without his right leg, Nico grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, and developed a love of sport and the outdoors from an early age. Initially walking with the use of prosthetics, he opted to use forearm crutches for increased mobility, unlocking a remarkable natural talent and athleticism.
By the age of five, he developed a deep love of soccer, and now captains both the United States Men’s National Amputee Soccer Team, and New England Amputee Soccer Association. Debuting at just 16 for his country, he stands as the Stars and Stripes’ top goalscorer, and was named MVP of the 2022 World Cup Qualifying tournament. In 2012, he scored an outstanding bicycle kick for his high school team, which circulated around the world.
Deeply passionate, Nico has long advocated for disability sport and disability rights, quitting his job as a full-time teacher to dedicate his time to growing the game across the U.S. and pursue his dreams of playing soccer at the highest level.
A graduate of Colorado College and Lesley University with a BA and M.Ed. in Education, he also serves as the Lead Educator for the Bionic Project, which seeks to eliminate disability bias through education, story, and sport. A dynamic and engaging speaker, Nico has traveled across the world to share his powerful story on his mission to make sport accessible for all and to redefine limits.
A long-standing Board Member of the American Amputee Soccer Association and founder of the New England team in 2018, he led his team to trophy success with the 2023 U.S. Amputee Soccer Cup, finishing the inaugural tournament with the Golden Boot and Best All Around Player awards.
Also an avid climber and mountaineer, Nico became the first person to ever summit the 19,331-foot peak of Mount Kilimanjaro on crutches – as a teenager, raising an astonishing $100,000 for charity to deliver wheelchairs to the people of Tanzania. The incredible feat was the subject of an award-winning documentary “Nico’s Challenge”, which drew media attention from the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the CBS Evening News, CNN News Room, and on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” He has also scaled Mount Cayambe (18,996’) and Mount Cotopaxi (19,347’) in Ecuador as part of other fundraising campaigns to improve access to healthcare for people with disabilities.
Nico became an Internet sensation in 2012, scoring a remarkable bicycle goal for his high school soccer team. The 17-year-old displayed incredible strength, athleticism and technique to volley a corner kick into the back of the net – a stunning goal that has been watched more than 1.8million times on YouTube, and earned number one spot on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” top 10 plays.
This video of his Crossbar Challenge, captured in partnership with the New England Revolution, shows not only two technically impressive strikes, but also a growing movement in the world of amputee soccer.
More info: NicolaiCalabria.com
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