The Importance of Football for Disabled Children

Football plays a much wider role in society than just a sport. The significance of football can be much more powerful than what most people imagine. The benefits of football extend far beyond the realms of competitive leagues. Football is often used as a tool to empower people from all walks of life in different ways. It can help someone in poverty to get out of it, it can help someone to escape conflict zone or even to just feel included in society. This is why it is important for us to learn how football helps people. Once we are able to understand that, we can do our part in using football to make the world a better place.

Football helps disabled kids in many profound ways. I had a first-hand experience in this and that had helped me develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the sport I love. About a year ago, I had the privilege of coaching some disabled adult and kids’ soccer. I had no idea what to expect. I only had a theoretical understanding from my time of doing my qualification to coach disabled football under England FA. I realized that studying how to coach disabled kids and actually doing it are two very different things. When I walked into the court (the kids train indoors) on my first day, I realized that the team was made up of kids with mixed disabilities. Some were blind, some had cerebral palsy, some were in a wheelchair etc. I could not even begin to fathom how we could conduct a football training session. However, the head coach there was extremely kind and helpful and that made it a lot easier for me to understand and learn. What I learned there was however far greater than just another regular how-to-coach- football lesson.

The things I learned in my short stint there are things I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The kids were extremely enthusiastic and they were extremely helpful to each other. That amazed me. These kids were about 6 to 12 years old with different disabilities. Despite having different disabilities, they manage to empathize with each other and support one another. They did it with so much compassion and displayed a great amount of patience with their peers that had more difficulties or struggled more. These kids got together solely because of football and created such a deep bond through their training sessions. In other words, it would have been hard for these kids to find each other had it not been through football.

The training sessions and football drills are similar to the ones regular kids do. It is like any other football training I ever coached. The joy that radiates from their faces when they play only reaffirms my belief that football can change the world. It was such an eye-opening experience and I was humbled and learned a lot in the following weeks and my time there. I will write more on this in a future article but for now, I want to illustrate the importance of football to disabled kids. One of the most important things that these football sessions provided them with is peer support. It is safe to say that without football, these kids may not have found each other and felt the support and friendship that they obtained through this. It is important for kids to foster this type of friendship as it is essential to their development as an individual. They have a chance to relate to each other and understand that they are not alone in this.

Football also taught them to always persevere. They understand that they need to keep trying regardless of the time and effort it takes and knows that as long as they persevere they will reach their goal. A perfect example of this is when we did a simple dribbling drill. The player had to dribble the ball from one end of the line to the other and kick or shoot the ball into the mini goals in front of them. Although it took some player longer than the others, the kids continued trying till they get the ball into the goal. And they did it all with a huge smile plastered on their faces. The enjoyment and sense of belonging they get from football is an integral part of their development process. It also shows how football can be an important tool to teach these kids life lessons.

Kids with disabilities benefit from playing football just like any other kid. The self-esteem, sense of belonging and accomplishment that kids receive from being involved in sports benefits all kids. Some of the physiological benefits include improving cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, flexibility, and coordination. Some of the psychological benefits include improving self-concept, self-esteem, being able to relate to other kids, improving friendships, as well as improving their overall quality of life. Providing kids with disabilities to participate in sports even if they are adaptive sports still help those kids reach those physical and psychological benefits.

Disabled kids may not be able to participate in a typical football team, but if we create an environment and provide them with the opportunity to play a modified version of football then they are still able to learn and they can be just as effective and can build rapport with their peers and teammates as well as empower themselves. They learn they are in charge of their bodies and that physical activity is fun and good for them: body, mind, and spirit. Integrated teams may also be a possibility in some communities where typically developing kids play alongside kids with disabilities. We can assess skill level and have kids aged from 6 to 17 on the same team who play on a mostly even proficiency. It’s important to remember that kids able to play on integrated teams within their ability level shouldn’t focus on competition but rather on learning the sport, having fun and making friends. Emotional development such as leadership skills, following instructions and team fellowship are important aspects of being involved in sports. It is not always about winning silverware.

I hope this article shed some light on the importance of football to disabled kids and the impact the sport has on their well-being and development. You can always do your part by volunteering to help out with a disabled football team in your local area. If there are not any around, you can do your research and band a group of volunteers together and start one. Ask your local FA how they can support you on this. Last but not least, you can read up more on this and help spread the word around and raise awareness for the need to have a disabled football team. Next time anyone tells you football is just a game with 22 people chasing one ball, you will have a perfect response to that.

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