Foundation launches one of the first dwarfism football groups
The BHAFC Foundation has launched a new group for people with dwarfism – one of the first of its kind in the south.
It’s a specialist football session run by the Foundation’s disability football team, suitable for people of all ages who have dwarfism.
The sessions are held in the all-weather dome at the club’s training ground, where players take part in coaching exercises and drills before getting into competitive games.
The group, run in partnership with the Dwarf Sports Association, is one of the only dwarfism-specific football sessions in the south of England.
Players travel across the region to play at these sessions, with some coming from as far away as Cambridge.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to engage people with dwarfism and give them an opportunity to play football,” said Foundation Disability Manager Phil Broom, “We’ve got children and adults of all different ages here.”
The Foundation already had a handful of players with dwarfism but Phil noticed that, unlike for many other disabilities, there didn’t seem to be any opportunities for people with dwarfism to play together.
“It’s all about creating opportunities,” Phil said, “There are dwarfism football groups dotted around the country but I haven’t really seen any in the Sussex or London area, but we knew there were people out there who might be interested.”
After just two sessions there has already been plenty of interest, and Phil hopes to keep that momentum going.
“We had 13 players come along to our first session and everyone’s had loads of fun,” he said.
“Players are travelling two or three hours to get here, and I think that just shows the need for more sessions like this.
“A lot of our players do play other sports as well, but football is such an amazing game and we want them to have the chance to play it.
“If anyone out there thinks they might enjoy these sessions, please get involved! We’re looking to hold these sessions once a month if the demand is there, so please do get in touch if you’re interested.”
One of the players at the group is Mike, who is also the National Partnerships Officer for Dwarf Sports Association UK.
Mike met Phil at an event a few months ago, and the conversation they had that day made them both realise a group like this was possible.
“My job is to work with different organisations and national governing bodies to create more and fairer sporting opportunities for people with dwarfism.
“I met Phil at a Paralympic discovery day and we got talking about trying to make a session happen for people with dwarfism,” Mike said.
“This is our second session with Brighton now and it’s been really great, it’s been fantastic using the facilities here. We’ve attracted new players from the local area too, which has been amazing.
“A lot of people with dwarfism just want to play. Regardless of ability, if you put a ball at their feet you’ll see the smile on their face.
“It’s great having the drills and the high-quality coaching here, it means everyone will come back next time a better player.”
Mike is a big proponent for the benefits of dwarfism-specific groups, and hailed the amount of talent he saw on display.
“You can see from some of the guys playing today, there’s a lot of talent around and the ability they have with the ball at their feet is incredible,” Mike said.
“A lot played for clubs in their community, but it gets to a certain stage when it gets too physical and they have to drop out.
“Having these sessions where they can come and play with people with the same condition as themselves is great, you can see the smiles on their faces.
“There are two lads here today who have never played at a DSA session before, and the ability they’ve shown is incredible.”
Send an email to disability@bhafcfoundation.org.uk to find out what opportunities are available near you.