Thanks to sponsorship from The Wellness Centre, the Special Needs Foundation and EFG Bank AG (Cayman Branch), Academy Sports Club’s Football4All programme has been providing children with special needs the opportunity to participate in an organised football programme for over four years.

The programme first started in 2013 and has run about 40 weeks per year. There are currently 20 children registered in the programme, which has expanded from children with autism to include children with Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities and other special needs.

“Academy strongly believes in the importance of programmes such as Football4All,” said Martin Cooke, Academy Sports Club Board Member. “By working together with The Wellness Centre and our wonderful sponsors, we hope to continue to provide this opportunity for all children in Cayman to participate in activities most take for granted.”

Sponsorships from the Special Needs Foundation and EFG Bank AG (Cayman Branch) have allowed the programme to include a therapist to lead the group as well as be able to purchase football uniforms for the participants.

The Wellness Centre continues to manage and organise the Football4All programme.

“Football4All is structured to be first and foremost fun – an opportunity to run and kick and play with friends,” said Shannon Seymour, Director of The Wellness Centre and Coordinator of Football4All. “We also try to use football to build social and communication skills that all children need to be successful such as following instructions, waiting for a turn and asking for help.”

At the core of Football4All is a belief in the importance of inclusion. It’s a principle shared by Academy Sports Club and its sponsors.

“We are committed to this programme because we believe that every child has a right to participate in their community and that community organisations have a responsibility to create meaningful opportunities for inclusion,” said Ms Seymour. “Football4All is about ensuring that all children have a place in our community.”

To view a TedTalk on the programme delivered by Shannon Seymour visit bit.ly/seymourTED.

For more information about the Football4All programme, contact Shannon Seymour at [email protected].   

For more information on Academy Sports Club, please either visit facebook.com/academysportsclub or contact [email protected].