Mega Myron finds his feet
For young Myron from Worthing, ADHD has a big impact on his life every day.
Myron is a bubbly character, full of energy and enthusiasm. He loves to crack a joke and, like so many 10-year-olds, he is absolutely football-mad.
There was a time, however, when it looked like he might fall out of love with the game.
Myron can’t get enough of football, but playing the game he loves isn’t always easy. He has struggled to play in mainstream football teams where his needs aren’t catered for, leaving Myron frustrated and feeling ostracised.
“Myron loves playing football, but when he was playing in his previous school there were times when nobody passed to him because of his ADHD,” Myron’s mum Rebecca told us.
“He would get the ball and panic a little and the other kids would take it a bit too seriously, and Myron would get shunned. I remember once he left a match in tears after the other kids were saying ‘don’t let Myron on your team’, and he was devastated.”
Despite Myron’s best efforts to fit in, he was struggling in an environment that simply wasn’t right for him.
Myron loves playing football, but there were times when nobody passed to him because of his ADHD.
That all changed when his mum was introduced to Albion in the Community’s inclusive sessions – he now takes part in our inclusive sessions in Worthing every Saturday.
There Myron can play among other kids who can relate to him, under the supervision of trained coaches creating tailored sessions for children with extra needs.
“Him being able to go to an inclusive session, where kids are on the same level and it doesn’t matter about your ability, it boosts his confidence so much,” mum Rebecca told us.
“Exercising is so important for him especially to let off steam. It’s not spoken about enough just how much ADHD affects people.
“He holds it all together at school and it’s tough for him, so it’s so important to have that hour of football every week when he can just relax and enjoy himself.
“It’s given him so much confidence, he’ll walk out of those sessions feeling amazing now and he’s made some really nice friends who understand him.”
We spoke to Myron about how much he loves playing football at AITC sessions, and he couldn’t wait to tell us that he’d scored a hat trick the week before.
“Me and my friend Arthur did one-twos up the pitch, I shot and hit the crossbar and then scored the rebound to get the hat-trick. It was amazing!” Myron said.
“I love the sessions, I just wish they were even longer. I‘m always really excited to go and the coaches are really nice to me.
Myron is a massive Albion fan and, as a centre back, his favourite player is Adam Webster.
As a thank-you for his dedication and enthusiasm on the football pitch, we took Myron on a tour of the Amex and gave him a match-issued Adam Webster shirt. Naturally, when Myron saw the shirt he was absolutely bouncing off the walls.
“I have no words, this is so cool, I’m so happy,” Myron said (more than once).
Myron told us that he’s made a lot of friends at our inclusive sessions (Arthur is his number-one friend), and that the coaches have helped support him through his journey with ADHD.
“When I got diagnosed with ADHD it was hard and I was just thinking ‘what does it mean?’, but everyone at the football sessions has helped me. If I didn’t have people like Kenny (AITC coach) helping me I wouldn’t feel as confident or brave.”
Thanks to the help of coaches like Kenny, Myron is thriving and happier than ever.
To find out more about our disability football programme, visit here: https://bhafcfoundation.org.uk/football-participation/disability-football/