AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth are delighted to be supporting this year's Level Playing Field 'Weeks of Action' campaign this weekend.
Running from Saturday 3rd through to Sunday 18th March, the annual campaign aims to celebrate access, inclusion and those who make a difference to the enjoyment and experience of disabled sports fans.
And ahead of kick-off of the weekend's game against West Brom, flagbearers from Longfleet Youth Lions' DSActive programme will form part of the guard of honour to welcome both teams to the pitch.
The players with Down’s syndrome have been training with Longfleet and over the next 12 months will be working in partnership with AFC Bournemouth.
Summer improvements
During the summer the club increased the number of elevated viewing platforms for home and visiting supporters, introduced the changing places facility which is situated in the south west corner of the stadium and conducted a thorough review on signage which has been extremely well received by our disabled supporters.
The club are proud to offer the DC Lounge for home and visiting disabled supporters to use pre-match on matchday. The DC Lounge is located in the east stand and is open two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.
Disabled supporters can enjoy complimentary hot drinks, watch the live football, partake in a football-related quiz and socialise with each other. The DC Lounge is always a popular space on matchday.
More recently matchday stewards and frontline staff have undertaken autism awareness training, while regular disability focus group meetings are held during the season to ensure ongoing and continued feedback from our disabled supporters.
Cherries Community Fund
Through the cherries community fund, the club has so far been able to donate a total of £9,394.59 to a range of local disability groups and community projects.
These include monies to Summerwood College to purchase bikes and lockable storage for use around the local park, Reach Sports and Leisure Programme to assist with the purchase of new sports equipment, the Cherry Tree Nursery to assist with the funding of an e-learning course for volunteers and more.
BT/PL Disability Programme
This season has seen the rapid expansion of the PL/BT Disability programme which commenced last year and is run by AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust.
The programme sees coaches work with a wide variety of participants across the county.
The Community Sports Trust have engaged with several local partners in the area to enhance the offer for disability provision in the area. This year the Trust has worked with organisations such as Dorset Mental Health Forum, Longfleet YFC DSActive, NHS and Dorset Advocacy to ensure that there are accessible football session on offer for players with disabilities all over Dorset.
As part of the programme the Trust have developed a partnered schools scheme where they have worked with ten schools to deliver PE lessons to young people with additional needs. The scheme sees coaches deliver sessions in line with the curriculum that focus on fundamental movement skills, it also offers the school a chance to bring their class to Vitality Stadium for a tour and for teachers to gain understanding of inclusive football provision alongside the coaches.
For the first time, the trust has run an FA Disability Talent hub that involves 18 young people in an elite pathway that is designed to recognise potential in players with disabilities. The hub works with players with visual and hearing impairments and cerebral palsy and alongside the FA delivers over 12 sessions a year as well as offering participants a chance to play in fixtures against other Premier League teams and talent hubs throughout the county.
Launching next month is Saturday Soccer Club, this new session will offer players with visual impairments, hearing impairments, cerebral palsy and frame football users an opportunity to come in a train with Community Sports Trust Coaches to develop their skills and understanding of the game, but most importantly, have fun playing football.
The trust has been working within its Linked Clubs scheme to increase confidence within grassroots coaches to deliver inclusive football sessions therefore creating more opportunities for young people with disabilities to play football. This work was highlighted with a recent course where grassroots coaches came into the Vitality Stadium to engage in some theory and practical work around inclusive.
More information
For more information on the PL/BT Disability programme please contact Hannah Powis (Disability Inclusion Officer) at hannah.powis@afcb.co.uk.
You can get involved in the Weeks of Action campaign by posting your messages of support on Twitter (@lpftweets) & Facebook (/lpftweets) using the hashtag #OurMatchday.
