A place on the pitch: Leo Leptich’s first step into team soccer

There are certain childhood milestones that arrive so quietly, we hardly think to celebrate them.

Being invited to a friend’s birthday party. The first sleepover. The first time a child pulls on a jersey, runs onto a field and discovers what it feels like to belong to a team.

For eight-year-old Leo Leptich, that last one is a very big deal.

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Recently Leptich laced up his shoes, stepped onto a soccer pitch and played alongside other kids as part of Saskatoon Youth Soccer’s all-abilities soccer program.

His five-year-old brother, Miles, was right there with him.

“I get to play soccer with my brother,” he said, beaming with pride.

Saskatoon Youth Soccer’s all-abilities program makes it possible for Leo Leptich and other children with disabilities or medical needs to participate in the sport. (Submitted)

It’s a simple sentence, delivered with the kind of excitement that makes you want to stop whatever you’re doing and listen a little closer.

For Leptich, this isn’t just another activity to add to a busy childhood.

It’s the chance to do something many kids take for granted: join a team, make friends, learn a game and be part of something bigger than himself.

Leptich lives with a rare condition called epidermolysis bullosa, or EB. The simple explanation is that his skin doesn’t have the same natural protection most of ours does.

“My skin is very fragile, and I can get hurt very easily,” he explained.

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Friction, pressure or even an ordinary bump can cause painful blisters and wounds. Things other children do without a second thought can leave Leptich hurt.

He wears protective bandages that need to be changed every two days. It’s a process he knows well, even if it isn’t always comfortable.

“I gotta take all this off and have a bath and put all the new ones on,” he said, motioning to the bandages covering his arms, legs and torso. “It hurts sometimes.”

It’s a matter-of-fact explanation from a little boy who knows his medical routine well.

There’s no grand speech about what he has endured, no attempt to make the experience sound more dramatic than it needs to be.

There’s simply the truth of his everyday life: sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it takes extra care to do things other kids don’t have to think twice about.

This is Leo Leptich’s first time playing soccer on a team, but he already has a good understanding of how the game works thanks to a lot of backyard practice with his family. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

His bandages are usually white, but his mom and dad tie-dye them, bringing a bit of fun and creativity into something that might otherwise feel like just another medical necessity.

And luckily, Leptich has plenty of favourite colours to choose from.

“Blue, green and I like the colour gold,” he noted. “Sometimes I like red. Or I like blue, purple, pink.”

It’s a small detail, but a lovely one.

In a life that requires so much careful attention to his skin, there is still room for colour and joy.

He likes Minecraft. He likes Lego. He enjoys making dioramas out of the boxes his medical supplies arrive in, building little worlds and bringing his ideas to life.

But EB does shape the boundaries of his childhood.

At school, Leptich sometimes chooses not to play outside with the other kids. It’s not because he doesn’t want to join in. It’s because the consequences of a rough game can be different for him.

“I don’t play at school because I don’t want to get hurt,” he explained. “They would play a little too rough for me, and I would probably get hit because I almost do just walking past to the playground.”

He knows his limits. He knows his skin needs protecting. And he knows that wanting to play doesn’t always mean a game is safe for him.

That is part of what makes this soccer opportunity so meaningful. Not because Leptich needs to prove anything, but because he deserves the chance to play, too.

And he already has a pretty good idea of what being on a team will look like as the season goes on.

“I like helping, and I like playing and having fun. And I think a team will be like that,” he imagined. “Helping each other and playing and having fun. I know I’m gonna make friends.”

Leo Leptich wears bandages to protect his fragile skin. They arrive white, but his parents tie-dye them to add a bit of fun and personality to the medical supplies. (Submitted)

Leptich’s life is not defined by EB, even though EB is an important part of it.

He knows there are things he has to approach differently, things he has to be careful about and activities that may not be right for him.

But he doesn’t see those limitations as the whole story.

“It doesn’t mean that I can’t do things you can do,” he insisted. “See, even though I’m different, I can still do those things too.”

When asked what makes him brave, Leptich has a delightfully straightforward answer.

“That I don’t give up and I be myself.”

At eight years old, Leptich already understands something important about himself.

He knows that his life may look a little different from those of other kids his age, but he doesn’t believe that makes his hopes and dreams any less valid.

The all-abilities program offered through Saskatoon Youth Soccer is an opportunity to put that belief into practice. It creates space for children with different abilities and needs to participate in soccer, with the emphasis on inclusion, enjoyment and being part of a team.

For Leptich, the program is creating an environment where he can play alongside other kids, with his needs taken into account. It means the possibility of friendships, shared goals and the particular joy of wearing the same team colours as his little brother.

“You kick the ball and try to score on the goalie, and you kick the ball back and forth,” Leptich explained excitedly.

He knows what the game is about. Now he finally gets to be part of it.

Leo Leptich’s skin condition means he needs to be extra careful when participating in activities most kids can do without a second thought. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Maybe he’ll score a goal. Maybe he’ll make a friend who shares his love of Minecraft. Maybe he’ll spend the whole ride home laughing about something that happened on the field.

Those are the memories childhood is made of.

Leptich has a message for anyone who might be tempted to assume that a disability determines what a person can do.

“Even if you’re different, it doesn’t mean you can’t do something other kids can do,” he said.

The whistle blew and the game began.

And in that moment, Leo Leptich was exactly who he has always dreamed of being.

Just a kid, playing soccer with his team.

He knows he can get hurt more easily than other kids because of his rare skin condition. But Leo Leptich also knows that being different doesn’t mean he can’t play. Now, he’s getting his chance. (Submitted)