Titans staff attended Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training
Darren Warner is chairman, manager and head coach at Doncaster Titans Ability Counts FC, an Inclusive football club for all abilities.
Three Titans members of staff attended a Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training workshop, which is designed to improve the skills and confidence of those who support disabled people to be more active.
“I wanted to learn about inclusion and language, to ensure that we are always inclusive and never upsetting people,” Darren told the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS).
“I wanted to ensure that I can be adaptable, as and when I need to be.”
Over 4,400 people to have benefited from Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training a creative and informal development opportunity.
It is for those who support disabled people of all ages within the community, and have an opportunity to put the training into practice.
“The Titans are an Ability Counts football club,” continued Darren. “We’re very keen on inclusion – anybody who is disabled or non-disabled and who wants to play football.
“We’ve got four adult seven-a-side teams and three junior teams, and one 11-a-side team. Disabled players play alongside non-disabled players, depending on ability.
“If you have a certain impairment you can play in a higher league, but a more profound disability and you can still play in the lower league sides. As your skill grows you climb the leagues.
“The Titans play the likes of Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Manchesters United and City, Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool.”
The training is three hours of informal, informative training from programme partners sports coach UK, complimented by online resources.
It is action-packed and collaborative among participants, something which Darren told EFDS he enjoyed.
“On the day we were encouraged to work together designing an activity based on certain factors. There we’re all sorts of people in attendance with various backgrounds in working with disabled people and physical activity and sport.
“We learned too about accessible warm-up exercises and how to adapt them.”
"I recommend everybody sign up"
It is important that skills developed during Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training are applied in the weeks and months following the workshop.
In the case of Doncaster Titans, manager Darren can point to one specific example.
“Recently, I’ve adapted an under-16s session because a profoundly deaf lad has arrived to play. We have now developed a way where he understands me and I understand him without us having to rely on BSL.
"We’ve developed a series of actions where, when he looks at me, he knows what I want from him. And there’s a gesture I do that tells him I want to show him something to do with the game.”
Over the last 18 months, EFDS has been documenting the positive experiences of many who have participated in workshops. For the Titans, Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training proved very effective.
“I recommend everybody sign up for Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training,” said Darren.
“Regardless of your role– you could be a chairman, a welfare officer, volunteer or a parent – it gives you the insight to be adaptable. You can advise others on how to be more inclusive.
“You develop a skillset where you can adapt physical activity and sport and help each other.”
