1. Entry Point: Special Education, Inclusive Schools, Skills Centres, Skills Coaches, FITC sessions - Players enter into the game through schools football or football in the community sessions organised by professional clubs and usually delivered within the school curriculum or as part of out of school hours learning and extended activities coaching sessions. All these sessions offer disabled players a basic taster and introduction to football in a fun friendly safe environment. Players are able to play with their friends in a non competitive environment.
2. SEN festivals - Once involved within school football players will be offered the opportunity to represent the school in inter school football competition playing against other schools. Players from here may be spotted to represent the County at the annual Youth Games that take place within Surrey and London. The Special educational needs (SEN) festivals act as an extension to the provision currently being delivered within schools. Schools need to ensure, transportation to the venue, provide lunch for your participants, enough staff members to cover the young people you bring. SEN festivals are organised by schools and the County Sports Partnerships.
3. Inclusive Clubs - There are currently 25 disability inclusive clubs within Surrey that offer weekly football club coaching sessions for players with mixed (pan) disabilities, all ages and ability levels. The disability teams play their football in a specially organised County Disability League named (Football for All) this league takes place on the last Sunday of the month and play in a tournament style format. For a full list of disability inclusive clubs click on the following link.
4. Football For All Festivals - Football for all festivals form the basis of the Surrey County Disability League (Football for all). Teams meet at a central venue for 7v7 games once a month and play each other in a round robin tournament format. Age groups consist of U12’s, U16’s and Adults each age group has varying standard including Premiership, Championship and League standard. This ensures that teams play against other teams of a similar ability. The emphasis for the football for all tournaments is very much based around maximum participation, fun and inclusion. Teams are encouraged to ensure that all players within the club get equal amount of time on the pitch regardless of ability.
5. CAADC and the Development Centres – County Athlete Assessment Development Centres are part of the government Playground to Podium project (P2P). The Playground to Podium is a dedicated initiative designed to identify and nurture disabled young people with the potential to be elite athletes and performers. Within mainstream and special schools, school sport co-ordinators will work with physical education professionals to identify young disabled people who show shoots of sporting potential. All disabled children and young people are eligible to be considered for entry into the podium pathway, not just those with impairments that are covered by the Paralympics. These young people will be referred to County Athlete Assessment and Development Centres (CAADCs), which will be held once per academic year, in each County Sports Partnership (CSP) area. The aim of the assessment and development centres is to provide an opportunity for representatives from the participating National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) to assess the young people as to whether they have the potential to progress within a specific sport i.e. Football. Disabled children will be invited to the P2P through their schools and once they have completed one of the locally organised talent ID days maybe invited to attend the sport specific CAADC’s. Players attending any of the football CAADC’s will be signposted directly into an inclusive club or the County Centre of Excellence Centres.
6. County Representative teams and Centre of Excellence. - Players will be selected for Centre of Excellence and Representative team via pre-season trails and ongoing talent scouting. The Surrey County disability representative team is recruited from players who attend special schools within the County. Trials are held during curriculum time at the start of the season. The Surrey County disability U17’s representative squad play their matches on a monthly basis against representative teams from other Counties within the South. The Surrey Centre of Excellence is currently organised by Fulham F.C on behalf of the Surrey County FA and run two age groups U14’s and U17’s. This is the first step on the disabled elite player pathway. Players will be selected to represent the Surrey disability Centres of Excellence through playing with their local inclusive clubs at the Surrey County Disability league. The Surrey Centre of Excellence play matches in the regional Centre of Excellence league were England scouts are on hand to select players for U17’s impairment squads.
7. U17’s England Impairment Squads and Senior Squads – The pinnacle of any disabled footballer’s career is to play for their Country in an international competition. This is a realistic ambition now that the disabled footballer’s pathway is clearly defined. Players are selected for England through annual trails but more commonly through participating in the Regional Centres of Excellence fixtures.