A Cardiff based disability football initiative has been crowned the largest in Wales and is even set to be mirrored in Malaysia.
Every Player Counts is a project delivered in partnership by Cardiff City Football Club and Sport.Cardiff which aims to get more disabled people involved in football.
Since the launch last October, the programme has attracted over 500 attendees with ages ranging from 5 to 45 years and has 141 registered playing members participating in weekly impairment specific coaching sessions. Groups include Downs Syndrome, physical disability, deaf, learning disability and wheelchair users. Coaching sessions for blind or visually impaired players are to be added to the programme this November.
The deaf coaching sessions have had an exceptional uptake are now the largest in the UK topping those of Manchester United and Arsenal Football Clubs. Following this success a senior deaf football team has been established who now participate in the local mainstream Cardiff and District league.
The programme has already enjoyed a series of outstanding achievements. The Downs Syndrome team attended the Premier League Down Syndrome tournament in Fulham and won the division two title and the Under 16’s deaf team finished top in the National Deaf Children’s Society football tournament held in Derby. Mitchell Price was awarded player of the competition and has since been awarded Disability Player of the Year by the Welsh Football Awards.
The deaf team have also been successful in beating Queens Park Rangers FC in the English Deaf Football Association Cup. They will now go on to the quarter finals along with teams such as Leeds United Deaf FC, Everton Deaf FC, Derby County Deaf FC and Charlton Athletic Deaf FC.
The programme has been awarded the London 2012 Olympic Inspire Mark which aims to help bring the benefits of the 2012 Olympic Games to every part of the UK and recognises non-commercial organisations that are delivering exciting and innovative projects genuinely inspired by the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Cardiff City Chairman, Dato Chan Tien Ghee (TG) recently visited some of the disability coaching sessions and was impressed by what he saw. He has committed his support to raise the necessary funding for a new wheelchair football team and has voiced his ambition to mirror the ‘Every Player Counts’ initiative in Malaysia.
Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture Cllr Nigel Howells said: “This scheme has achieved an incredible success in the short time it has been established.
“It has successfully developed and increased the provision and opportunities for disabled footballers in Cardiff and has made the opportunity to play more accessible to everyone.
“We have formed a strong partnership with Cardiff City Community Foundation. I am confident that the exceptional way in which these sessions have been delivered will lead us to deliver more projects together in the future.”
