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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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