Thomas Soar, who has a mild form of cerebral palsy, is a participant in the Trust’s SEND football sessions and has been invited onto the England Cerebral Palsy Football Pathway.
Speaking about the experience playing for the Trust’s SEND football teams, Thomas said: “This club has always just meant a lot to me, and all of the coaches are fantastic. They have really shown great support.”
Thomas’ dad, Martyn Soar, also spoke about how beneficial it is for Thomas to be playing football. He said: “He loves his football, loves his sport. We found SEND football through the physios at Chesterfield.
“It’s the perfect environment for him to come and play football, and he really, really enjoys it. He can’t wait to come every Wednesday – he counts down the days to when he can play with the people that he’s got to know.”
Adding how much it means for Thomas to wear the Chesterfield FC shirt, Martyn said: “With Chesterfield being local, it is ideal. There’s massive pride in Thomas being a part of a team, playing with his friends week in, week out now as well.”
Commenting on how he and Thomas found out about the England pathway, Martyn said: “The head of Derbyshire FA came to us at one of the tournaments and said, ‘Would Thomas be interested in going along?’
“It is just the next level, which you can see with the skills and the technical side that the players use there, and it’s helping to develop Thomas’ skills even more.”
Finally, Martyn spoke about the support he has received from the Trust’s coaches. He said: “I’ve got involved volunteering as I’m here every week to stay with Thomas.
“Craig, Jed, Brad and all of the coaches are just really welcoming and knowledgeable, really involve everybody and engage everybody.”
SEND football coach, Jed Frazer, commented on Thomas’ development, saying: “He’s come such a long way since I started coaching. His knowledge of the game has improved massively, as has his positioning.
“He’s always got a smile on his face, he’s always enjoying it, always laughing, always grinning. I’ve seen him come on both on and off the pitch really, which has been really good to see.”
