Town Midfielder Jim O'Brien visits Down's Syndrome Session for Disability Awareness Week
We continue to take a closer look at Shrewsbury Town in The Community’s disability programmes through our ‘Disability Awareness Week’, and next up is our Down's Syndrome Football sessions.Led by Health and Inclusion Officer Amy Edwards, the children took part in several fun and exciting football drills before playing a mini game at the end.
They were joined by Town midfielder Jim O’Brien, who got stuck into the session, and seemed to have as much fun as the kids!
Jim has been impressed with the way things are run by Shrewsbury Town in the Community, and said: “This is the second time I’ve been, it’s nice to see the kids with smiles on their faces, scoring some goals, and you can see what it means to them when some of the players come down as well.
“It’s a good set up we’ve got here, the club are doing great.
“It’s nice to see everyone getting involved.”
Having been down to see some of our projects before, Jim says bonding with the children is something that he really enjoys.
“You get to know them, they sort of stick to you like glue as well!
“It’s nice for them to see us coming down, taking some time out and making it a nice experience for them.
“It’s quite humbling you know, when you’ve got kids yourself and you see how much they get involved here, it’s great.
“It’s nice for them to see us just as normal people as well, I think that’s the most important thing.”
One thing that has impressed Jim the most is how there is something for everyone to get involved in, and added: “The last time I was down, some of the games weren’t all football related so it’s nice to see there’s something for everyone.
“Even if you’re not really into football, you can keep active, so it’s nice.
“The most important thing for them is to keep active and enjoy themselves.
“Everybody’s got a smile on their face, it’s a good thing the club have got going.”