TEN years on from first being formed, the Basildon Soccability Academy is bigger and better than ever before.

The pan disability football club caters for footballers of any abilities and continues to pack out the Basildon Lower Academy gym every Saturday morning.

Soccability was set up by coach John Smith back in 2007.

And, after having just four youngsters attend the very first session, he remains rightfully proud of the progress the award winning academy has made.

“It’s fantastic and so many great people give up their time to help every single weekend,” said Smith.

“It’s a huge team effort, it’s certainly not just me and it’s always great to see so many kids coming along to enjoy themselves.

“We started with four players and it’s all grown from there.

“There’s no pressure on anyone, it’s just about having fun and I think the parents are all happy that their kids have somewhere to go to have a kick about.

Echo:

On the ball - Josh Lewis

“We have training sessions every Saturday but there are organised games as well and there’s a Soccability league we play in at all three age-groups.

“We provide footballing opportunities for anyone with any kind of disability whether physical or psychological and I’m happy to see how many people come along nowadays and what a difference it can make to them.”

Close to 100 children now take part in the coaching sessions and Soccability’s work saw them win a number of well-deserved awards towards the end of last year.

They won county club and regional club of the year at the County FA awards and were also successful at the Basildon Active awards.

On top of that, Basildon Soccability also won a top prize at the Active Essex awards but Smith is still keen for the club to expand.

“We’ve just started up frame football sessions which are proving to be popular and they take place once a fortnight and we want as many people as possible to get involved,” said Smith.

“Thanks to funding from the Football Foundation we will be holding designated mental health sessions and we’re also looking to join a mental health league.

“We make sure anyone who comes down to play is made to feel welcome but it would be great if we were able to get more girls playing.

Echo:

Showing his joy - youngster Jarrad Sartain

“Women’s football is growing in popularity all the time but we only have two girls who come down to play at the moment and I would love it if that number was able to increase.”

Smith works closely with a number of local schools to make them aware of the training sessions and previously helped out at a disabled swimming school in East London before moving to Basildon and creating his own club.

“I’ve always had an interest in disability sport,” said Smith.

“I spoke to a guy who set up a group in Rochford asking what he did and also contacted the County FA who were very helpful.

“We also contacted schools and set a few dates which people came along to but we’re always looking to grow.”

And, with that in mind, Smith would love to be able to secure a club sponsor.

“We’re self-funding and it would be fantastic if we were able to attract a sponsor,” said Smith.

Echo:

On the move - the Soccability youngsters battle it out

“The players all pay a registration fee and a weekly subscription which pays for the venue.

“Any funding opportunities I see I go for and Greggs were kind enough to sponsor us £1,000 just before Christmas.

“We also got funding through the Basildon Active Award we won but any help is greatly received because it really does help and would enable us to do even more.”

>Anyone interested in sponsoring the Basildon Soccability Academy or in attending a training session can contact Smith on 07814 227304 or by emailing smithjohn111rough@googlemail.com for more details.

THE BEST CLUB I'VE SEEN IN MY 13 YEARS AT THE ECHO

IN my 13 years at the Echo I have been lucky enough to visit hundreds of local clubs and contests.

But none of them struck me in quite the same way as my morning with the Basildon Soccability group on Saturday. 

Sometimes in sport, it can be quite easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment with concerns about finances, futures and all kinds of other pressures instead of focusing on just having fun.

Yet what I witnessed at the weekend was only about pure enjoyment and it was incredible to see.

Echo:

Proud coach - John Smith

Some of the youngsters I saw struggled with their movements and had to be helped on and off the pitch.

But put a football in front of them and they were giving their absolute all to charge here, there and everywhere all across the gym.

I had originally planned to just pop in for a quick interview on what was due to be a busy day of local sport.

However, such was my admiration for what was happening I ended up staying for more than two hours.

Hopefully these words can do the club justice and do not come across in a condescending manner because it was also heartwarming to hear from the parents watching on the sidelines just how much difference the club has made to their children.

Many spoke at length about improved confidence levels and it was heart-watching to watch first hand.

Some of the children struggled with their speech and found it hard to communicate.

But every time one team came off and another charged on it was clear to see just how much fun they were having.

John Smith and his hard-working coaches deserve all of the accolades and awards coming their way and I truly hope the club continues to succeed.

Echo:

In full flow - more action from the Soccability training session

I would certainly love to remain involved in whatever way possible and left feeling incredibly proud to have such a fantastic sporting facility within the local area.

Being honest, I cannot ever remember visiting a better or more inspiring club and would strongly urge any potential sponsors or players to get involved. 

From what I saw on Saturday they will not be leaving disappointed but they might just be getting a few more bruises!


CHRIS PHILLIPS