Helston U9 Girls praised for inclusive approach in recent fixture

Helston U9s Girls have been praised for their inclusiveness in a recent league fixture against St Agnes.

Details of the match were shared by Cornwall FA.

During the fixture, St Agnes had just 6 players available, one of whom was Connie, a St Agnes player who has Down's Syndrome who went on to play most of the game and managed to score two goals.

Helston manager Jeremy Squibb said:

"As someone who was never particularly athletic at school, I am ever mindful of what it is like to be left out or overlooked. My ability was not perhaps strong either, but without any encouragement or inclusion, it was never going to improve.

"Over previous years, we (Helston U9s) have learnt from past experiences and consciously made a decision to always play and behave in a courteous and caring manner to our opponents, whether we win, lose or draw.

"I believe there is a right way and a wrong way, and the girls can learn far more about life than football during their time with the team.

"When Mandy came to me yesterday to explain the makeup of her team including Connie, the first and most important thing for us was to help everyone feel included, valued and wanted.

"None of us knew how much involvement Connie would have in the game, and all of the girls were only too happy to help her football learning journey and support her build her confidence.

"After outlining this to the team, not once did they need a reminder, not even some of our more enthusiastic and committed players - every single one of them drew as much delight from watching Connie with the ball as us on the side-lines did."

Vicky Fisher (Cornwall FA Girls and Disability Officer) added:

"It was fantastic to hear the stories of this weekend's match and a great reminder of why we're involved in the game."

The team is also hosting a Halloween themed fancy dress-match on October 31st and one of the charities they are raising money for is Cornwall Downs Syndrome Group, click here to make a donation.

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