We are delighted to announce Newport Pagnell have become our latest Disability Pledge Club. The Pledge Project has the very simple aim to raise awareness of Disability Football across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and we are pleased to announce NPTFC as a new partner club.

The Buckinghamshire based club will support Disability Football with five pledges over the course of the next two seasons. The pledges were decided by the clubs committee and in line with the clubs our ambitions and development. Over the next two seasons Newport Pagnell Town FC have pledged to:-

1) Display the BBFA Disability Club Directory in our Clubhouse
2) Add the BBFA Disability Club Directory to our Club’s Website
3) Share the BBFA Disability Club Directory on our Club Social Media Platforms
4) Put a Coach through the Coaching Disabled Footballers Course
5) Work towards setting up a Disability Team within our Club

Berks & Bucks FA look forward to supporting Newport Pagnell Town on this journey and helping the club achieve this commitment to Disability Football.

We want to promote the vast array of different Disability Football opportunities across Berkshire & Buckinghamshire. Each season one challenge is getting information to those that could benefit from this provision. Sadly we hear about missed opportunities for potential new disabled players joining clubs because they were unaware of the local disabled football provision. Did you know there are 53 Affiliated Disability Teams in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire? Did you know that the BOBi League that serves Berkshire,
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire is one of the largest Disability Football Leagues in England?

It’s time for this to change and we are asking all Grassroots Clubs to help us by pledging their support to promote disability football. Taking part in the Pledge Project is easy; clubs can make a pledge that suits the ambitions of the club itself. The pledge can be as big or small as the club decides but all pledges, regardless of size, will contribute to raising awareness of Disability Football.

There are three areas we are asking clubs to support; Awareness, Coach Education and Playing Opportunities.

Pledges don’t have to cost anything to the club and can require little time to complete but could have a big impact. In its simplest form a club could pledge to display the BBFA Disability Football Club Directory in their clubhouse. We have these professionally printed and ready to send out to clubs. By promoting this Club Directory a Player, Parent or Coach from either your own club or opposition might see this and lead to a player with a disability getting involved with a local club.

If you are interested in learning more about The Pledge Project please visit the external BBFA Pledge Project website. The webpage has lots more information about the project with further examples of potential Pledges. We also have a one-page information sheet which is easy to print off and share with your community members attached to the bottom of this news item, please find below.

If your club is interested in making a Pledge or Discussing Potential Pledge Ideas please contact Disability Football Development Officer Jonathan Coles by email: Jonathan.Coles@Berks-BucksFA.com or call 01235 558451 to find out more about what’s going on in your local area.