Wolves Foundation have launched an extensive new Sporting Chances project aimed at encouraging more young people with disabilities to become involved in physical and sporting activity across the city and surrounding areas.
With thanks to a substantial grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, the Foundation will deliver activities to 11 to 25-year-olds with SEND (Special Education Needs & Disabilities) at different sites in Wolverhampton and the Black Country.
The exciting new project will see sessions delivered in educational settings during extracurricular clubs, at community venues on evenings and weekends also featuring the development of three multi-sport disability hubs including the Aldersley Arena and workshops around issues such as mental health and wellbeing and basic life skills.
“Wolves Foundation are delighted to have been successful with this Big Lottery application for a project to encourage more individuals with disabilities to become physically active,” says Rachel Smith, head of programmes with the Foundation for health improvement & community sport.
“As well as leading on different types of physical activity in educational settings and community hubs, it is also about delivering life skills including money management and communication.
“Those sessions will be an addition to the learning around PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) that the young people are already receiving, and is designed to assist them in becoming independent and socially self-sufficient where possible. We all know the huge benefits that sport and physical activity can bring to people of all ages. This project is a great opportunity for us to remove barriers to attendance for SEND individuals.
“Within the Foundation, we have run the hugely successful Wolves Disability football set-up for many years, which thousands of Wolves fans are aware of from the incredible half time games which have taken place during our annual Focus Fixture.
“The Disability football set-up will remain a key part of our overall community sport provision, but, thanks to this new funding, we can expand our offer to incorporate multi-sport delivery in across several different hubs within Wolverhampton and across the Black Country.
“It’s a really exciting project which we are thrilled to be delivering as we head into 2025.”
There are currently 7,834 children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in the city of Wolverhampton, equating to one in six children, 17% of the school population.
The Foundation has already developed strong links with SEND schools across the Black Country over the last 15 years, and has worked closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council to enable disabled children and young people to become strong and healthy through physical activity and build up their resilience.
This project will help build on that existing provision, particularly as partner organisations have revealed the need for more sessions delivered after school, at weekends and during school holidays.
A consultation process carried out by the Foundation also showed that children and young people with disabilities often faced further obstacles when it comes to getting involved with sport and physical activity.
This new project, open to 11 to 25-year-olds with SEND needs, will expand the Foundation’s delivery of disability sport and see Wolves’ official charity become one of the biggest providers of disability sessions in the city.
The Foundation’s Sporting Chances project was officially launched with a major Christmas event at Hollywood Bowl in Bentley Bridge, when 80 young participants were able to enjoy a couple of games and meet Wolves Women players Anna Morphet, Tammi George, Abi Loydon and Amelia Hiscox.
Morphet, the Women’s captain, is also a Foundation ambassador who has previously visited activities delivered by the charity involving disability sport.
“We know how much sport brings us together, and it’s all about raising awareness and giving as many opportunities to as many people as possible,” she said.
“Talking to some of the guys who play for the disability team we know how much they enjoy it.
“They know how much the Foundation support them as well, so I’m really glad that the awareness is out there.”
Current sessions being delivered as part of Sporting Chances include:
Mondays: 5pm – 6pm. Under-16 Pan Disability Football. Bilston College, Wellington Road, WV14 6BT.
Mondays: 6pm – 7pm. Over-16s Pan Disability Football. Bilston College, Wellington Road, WV14 6BT.
Tuesdays: 5pm-6pm. Multisport for 11–18-year-olds. The Hub at Ashmore Park, Griffiths Drive, WV11 2LH.
These sessions will restart after Christmas on January 6th and 7th, with more exciting new sessions to be launched in 2025.
If you have a child with SEND needs and would like to share your thoughts on what activities Sporting Chances could provide, please take five minutes to complete the following questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/e/nK7JUSarmg