Far East footie delight

Thursday June 17, 2010

Generous Fulham fans have helped to fund a trip of a lifetime for the club's Down's syndrome football team to play in a tournament in Hong Kong.

The 14 young players, who go by the name of the Fulham Badgers, arrived back in the UK last weekend after spending a week facing local teams and seeing the sights as part of a £60,000 tour.

The Badgers were set up and financed by the Fulham FC Foundation - the charitable arm of the Premier League club - which itself gets cash in the form of donations from football fans, local businesses and the club itself.

Steven Day, chief executive of the foundation, said: "It was a great trip and some of the feedback we've had from parents has been incredible. They said the Badgers' language skills had improved because they were in an environment that meant they were speaking to their teammates. Being physically active was also a help, as was the building of confidence and self-esteem.

"The team played against the Hong Kong Crusaders and the DSA Dragons, and they loved every minute of it. With Down's, the players tend to enjoy every goal - no matter which team scores it - so there was a lot of cheering and a fantastic atmosphere."

The Badgers became the first Down's syndrome team attached to a Premier League club anywhere in the country back in 2005, after close work between Fulham and the Down's Syndrome Association.

Steven said: "The concept was to give the young people the chance to regularly play with a peer group they could compete and make friendships with.

The foundation does work with all sorts of disabilities - be they physical disabilities or learning difficulties - and we always look to do something that can get people motivated and keep them engaged."

The foundation has been running for 20 years and works with 37,000 young people each year across four London boroughs and parts of Surrey. One aim is to avoid young people getting caught up in crime or antisocial behaviour.

"Five years ago the foundation was just about football," said Steven, "but we now have a much wider remit. Football is a great tool for engaging people, especially in the Premier League.

"But our aim is to build better lives all round. We now have qualified social workers and teachers working for us, so we have a great staff base to help us meet people's needs."

To find out more visit www.fulhamfc.com/foundation (opens new wibndow).