Albion directors get stuck in at disability sports day
Senior leaders from the club and the BHAFC Foundation tried their hand at disability sports as they learned more about the charity’s work.
Club directors and BHAFC Foundation trustees were invited to a special evening of disability sports, to learn more about how the charity brings disability sport to hundreds of people across Sussex every week.
Club chairman Tony Bloom was in attendance, alongside deputy chairman Paul Barber.
The event, which was organised by staff members in the Foundation’s disability football department, took the same format as the ‘Albion Games’ event that hundreds of local people enjoy every year.
The directors took part in a range of disability sports including Boccia, Goalball, blind football, amputee football, and wheelchair basketball.
They were also introduced to Tate Willis, Foundation participant and current England Amputee captain.
Tate, who recently returned from captaining the Lionesses to fifth place in the Amputee Football World Cup, shared her experiences of playing with the Foundation for almost a decade.
Carina Bauer, chair of the board of trustees at the Foundation, said: “We were delighted to welcome Tony, Paul, and other leaders from across the club and charity to come and find out more about the Foundation’s work in a really hands-on way.
“Disability football is of course a real focus area for the Foundation, so it’s important for our leadership teams to understand how our coaches deliver their sessions. What better way to achieve that than by getting involved themselves?
“It was a fantastic day for everyone involved. Our coaches had fun delivering the games and explaining what goes in to coaching disability sports, and the directors seemed to have a great time too. They really threw themselves into it!”
Paul Barber spoke after the Albion Games, explaining how valuable the experience was for him and the other directors.
“Coming to the Albion Games was as enjoyable as it was instructive,” he said, “It’s not every day you get to learn a new sport, and we all had a lot of fun trying out the different activities.
“The work the Foundation does in disability football is so important, they fill a gap and give people opportunities to get active that they simply can’t access anywhere else in their local area.
“I’d urge anyone to learn more about disability football, and to support it wherever you can. We had a fantastic day – with a bit of healthy competition – and it’s heartening to know that there are so many ways people with a disability can get active and enjoy sport.”
Chairman Tony Bloom spoke about how proud he is that the Foundation are leaders in disability football.
“The Foundation is one of the biggest providers of disability football in the region, which is a real source of pride to all of us at the club.
“The charity is approaching its 35th anniversary, and in that time it has grown into an organisation that supports tens of thousands of local people from all walks of life.
“We want all Albion fans to be able to take part in football, and the Foundation’s work allows many of our fans who have a disability to be able to participate.”
Find out more about the Foundation’s work in disability football.
