New disability team in Surrey

The Surrey County FA are delighted to announce that the borough of Croydon now has a new disability youth football team.

The new team is pan-disability which means that children with all mixed disabilities are welcome and the players are aged between 12-16-years-old and are now training on a weekly basis and plan to play in the new Surrey County Disability League.

It was formed on the back of a successful FA School Club Link which was organised by the County FA and their Senior Football Development Officer, Oliver Selfe takes up the story.

“We have taken two special schools in the area and linked them with a Charter Standard Development Club, Croydon Borough Girls FC,” he explained.

“The aim was to signpost pupils from the schools to the club to form a new disability football team.

“The project involved eight weeks of school coaching which was delivered by Crystal Palace FC, followed by four after-school coaching sessions which Croydon Borough Girls have delivered. It’s been a very interesting project and all parties involved have learnt a great deal. It’s fantastic to finally bring everything together and see the new team training on a weekly basis.”

Planning for the project started back in September 2008 and has involved a number of meetings with the schools and the club. Richard Gunney Football Development Officer for Surrey FA, added: “There has been a lot of planning involved in this particular project and a number of key elements have been essential to its success.

“Firstly we had to identify the special schools to work with and ensure that the pupils at both schools were of a similar ability. It was then essential to find a club that we felt could support the new team and then ensure that the schools and the club communicate with each other to assist the Surrey County FA in the planning. 

“We needed to identify and secure a facility that the new team could utilise for training sessions. This facility needed to be within close proximity to the schools and the club. We also have had to source three volunteers to run the new team and finally secure some funding to make sure that the new team had the financial support to become sustainable.”

Robin Barwick, from Bensham Manor Special School, added: ”The project has made an excellent start which is due largely to the preparatory work undertaken by the Surrey County FA.

“Selecting appropriate schools where the pupils are receptive to attending a football club and a school of sufficient size to generate meaningful numbers who will attend a club has been crucial and also selecting a supportive club such as Croydon Borough Girls who are genuine about developing in this area.

“It has been really encouraging to see the number of children who have made the transition from the school sessions to the evening club sessions and it is significant that most of these children do not get the opportunity to participate in extra curricular activity and do not attend other after-school clubs. 

“The children have also got on really well with the children from the other school and are building friendships which would not have otherwise developed.”