As of Oct. 16, Marquette men’s soccer added another member to its roster for the next two years.
The team held a signing day where Greenfield, Wisconsin native Liam Baines made it official. But there’s something extra special about Liam that sets him apart from his teammates: he’s only 10 years old.
Other Marquette teams have worked with Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that pairs kids who are battling health issues with a college athletic team, and after a lot of teamwork, the Golden Eagles were able to get involved with the program as well.
In August, men’s soccer posted on their Instagram to show their support for Liam and the other people that are facing it as well. SMA — spinal muscular atrophy — affects multiple different nervous systems in the body, as well as voluntary muscle movements, but that doesn’t have any effect on Liam’s positivity.
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At the end of the school year last year, Marquette head coach David Korn said the Golden Eagles got matched with their new recruit. Liam got the opportunity to attend their media day, as well as do introductions with the athletes at the start of this season.
“He’s on campus a lot, he’s a big fan of Marquette and he’s a really nice and sweet kid,” Korn said.
Team IMPACT believes in fostering these relationships as well as cultivating an encouraging, safe environment for the kids and their families in their neighboring communities.
Liam has his own personal cheering squad between his family, his doctors and now, his new teammates.
“It’s really just nice to see all the background stuff going on in his life,” sophomore defender Ben Harcourt-Harrison said. “We’d really just like to show our appreciation for him,”
Whether it’s through sport or through Liam’s other hobbies, Marquette prioritizes spending time with him.
“He loves soccer,” senior midfielder Donny Jones said. That’s his favorite sport right now, but I’m sure he has many others. He loves the game, so he can definitively share that with us on the field. It’s not only us enjoying the game, but he can enjoy the game too.”
Liam was able to join the Golden Eagles for a practice this fall. Though limited to movement, he got to push around the ball with his electric wheelchair and have a kick-around with Korn. He also got to join in on a video session and see some of the scout team reports they do together.
“I hope our guys realize how lucky they are…Because sometimes there are things in life that prevent that [having the opportunity to play],” Korn said. “I hope those are opportunities our guys carry forward long beyond being college students.”
After getting the full practice experience, Liam was the one who got to break the Golden Eagles out of that training.
“He’s very optimistic about life. Whatever he’s doing, he’s having fun, if it’s in PT, if it’s something else, he’s just a great kid. It shows how we can be grateful for a lot of things in life,” Jones said. “Whatever we’re doing in life, we can do it with joy. That’s something I’ve learned from him.”
The Golden Eagles have multiple other events scheduled with Liam and his family, trying go beyond the soccer field to do things he enjoys, whether it’s Pokemon or video games.
“The whole team is really excited to get to know Liam better over these next couple years,” Jones said. “I think there will be some great experiences to come, and we’re just really happy to have him.”
This story was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.