Kids 'will be sleeping in kits' after grant award

Children with disabilities who are part of a Surrey football club will be "sleeping in their kits" after a funding award, the chairman has said.

"I guarantee many of the kids will be sleeping in their new kits, it’s so brilliant and it really makes everyone feel a part of something," Abbey Rangers FC chairman Nick Riley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A £4,550 grant was given to the Addlestone club by Runnymede Borough Council’s youth development fund.

It will be used by the club to provide gear and coaching for up to 25 children with disabilities for the next five years.

Mr Riley also said the grant has even opened the door to the potential of running further teams if the right coaching can be found.

He said: "The impact this will have is game changing and will give the children a real sense of team identity, pride and belonging.

"This removes confusion, it brings continuity. The impact on the children of having their own equipment and their own kit, and their own space on the pitch will be huge.

"Having the right resources for children with special needs is imperative."

He said the club, which has 51 teams, relaunched its pan-disability team last year after a hiatus when the previous coach retired.

The funding, Mr Riley said, was not a "do or die" moment for the club as it would have run the disability side regardless, but has helped "accelerate it and create a legacy".

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