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Disability Football
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The Football Association introduced its
Football Development Strategy, aiming to provide a strategic
framework for football development in England between 2001 and 2006 |
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The strategy was produced after a period of
extensive consultation with key stakeholders and responded
positively to the governments policy document ‘A Sporting Future
for All’ and the ‘Working Group on the Football Disorder
Report’ outlining where the FA and Government can work with other
agencies to develop our national game and use football as a powerful
tool for social change.
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The Football Development Strategy’s key objective
was to increase the participation, quality and enjoyment of football
through four
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key strategies, one of which was entitled
‘Opportunities for All’, committing to provide everybody with
the opportunity to participate in football. |
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‘Opportunities for All’ is a
commitment by the FA to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to
play, coach, manage, referee, and spectate, regardless of their
race, culture, religion, gender, ability, sexual orientation,
ethnicity or social status.
The FA made its first commitment to disability football through
Ability Counts in 1999, followed by the launch of the FA TOPS /
Soccability programme providing free coaching, equipment and
training cards for teachers at special schools in 2001, a three year
programme.
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The FA Football Development Strategy in
2001 also stated the following aim: |
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“To become the world leading governing
body in the development of disability football” |
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So where are we now?
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The FA launched its Disability Football
Strategy in January 2004 at Arsenal FC. The strategy outlines
how the FA will be meeting its objectives first laid out in the
original document in 2001 and how it will be stepping up its
commitment to disability football over the next three years. |
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There are currently six disability
specific England squads including: |
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Amputees |
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Blind |
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Cerebral Palsy |
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Deaf |
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Learning Difficulties |
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Partially Sighted |
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Since the FA have been involved with the specific impairment
groups each one has improved their World or European ranking with
the Learning Disability squad even picking up a World Cup in their
travels.
The FA now hope to increase competition structures at the
grassroots upwards increasing players and coaches that will
ultimately form the foundations for disability football to continue
to expand and grow.
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