A disability and inclusion football team has won the league title after having only formed two years ago.

Bure Park FC under 14’s team, who began meeting at Whitelands Farm Sports Ground in Bicester in February 2020, have won the Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire inclusive league.

The group is Bicester’s first ever disabled football team, started and coached by Adam Robinson, a recent Good Citizen Awards winner at Bicester’s mayor making event.

The league is made up of 6 teams, who meet 6 times per year in tournaments where every team will play each other in 15-minute games.

The results of these games at the end of the season will determine the outcome of the league table.

The final match of the season took place at Moulton College in Northampton last Sunday, where Bure Park FC brought home the silver cup.

Adam Robinson, head coach and disability officer at Bure Park FC, said: “It’s brilliant, the kids only joined the league this season.

“To see how far they’ve come from never playing a football match before this season, to actually winning the league, it’s fantastic.”

Adam, who works in IT and voluntarily runs the disability and inclusion football team, originally set out to join an existing club.

But upon discovering that one didn’t exist, he decided to begin his own.

He said: “I played football as a child and all throughout my life. It offered me a lot in terms of the social element it brings, along with keeping fit.

For me its about everyone having the opportunity to do something they love, or something they think they might love.”

Adam said what he enjoys most about coaching the team is watching the journeys of the players.

He added: “There was one lad who came along but didn’t join in with football for about 8 weeks.

“Most teams would say ‘it’s not for you’, but I kept talking to him, and gradually he joined in more and more.

“He’s now been invited to train at an Oxfordshire Regional Talent Centre, who we’ve worked with to help them adapt their programme to be suitable for disabled children or children with other disabilities.

“With other kids I’m just so happy to hear how the football sessions have improved their confidence and their behaviour at school.”

The team’s goalkeeper, Bella, said: “I am never going to forget Sunday. I love playing for this team and the coaches are great.”

Every Saturday at Whiteland Farm Sports Ground, Adam holds open sessions for children between the ages of 5-15 who have physical or mental disabilities.

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

 

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