Communities

Everton's pride in Down Syndrome talent

21 Mar 2017
Seamus Coleman, Everton in the Community

Seamus Coleman marks International Down Syndrome Awareness Day with EitC's Down Syndrome team

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While Ronald Koeman's Toffees continue to catch the eye, Everton in the Community's Down Syndrome team have also been going from strength to strength.

The side has now been running for over three years, training once a week and competing every other week in an open disability league.

The project aims to use football to create a learning environment that will improve the participants' physical, social and emotional abilities - but it also enables them to show off their skills.

"Most of the lads here started off on day one and more and more have come every week. We've got a good core of lads now who come week in week out," says Everton in the Community (EitC) coach Ste Watt. "A good part of it is when we go and play in the national tournaments.

“The last one we've just been in, all the other teams came up to us and spotted a few of our players and said 'they're really good players', so we're quite proud."

In a special event to mark World Down Syndrome Day today, the team played an indoor football match alongside Everton right-back Seamus Coleman and club ambassador Ian Snodin, both of whom were impressed with the talent on show.

"You can tell they must meet up once a week because they have the basics right, and some of the goals scored and the goalkeeping was brilliant," said Coleman.

The Down Syndrome team is part of EitC's disability programme and provides football and physical activity opportunities for thousands of disabled children and adults each year.

The programme is all inclusive and there are teams available to those with any disability whether that be learning, physical, reduced stature, autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, deaf or partially sighted.

See: Coleman celebrates World Down Syndrome Day

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