Last night, 12 Jan 2016, Pirelli FC and other member clubs were invited to the pre-season meeting at Penrith Leisure Centre to discuss the key topics concerning the Ability Counts league, the FA’s disability football league. The agenda included an overview of the 2015 season which saw participants increase to over 100 players, which is yet another increase from the previous year.
After a positive discussion about the strengths of the league and also areas of development, the group explored the options for restructuring the league format due to new teams entering the 2016 season, which starts in March. All prospective options included creating games which would challenge each team whilst also maintaining the enjoyment aspect of the evening.
Among the attendees were several county FA referees who were able to confirm that the enjoyment isn’t just for the players, but also those officiating the games. The experience gained during the night has been appealing to young referees as well as those seasoned referees which can only help improve the involvement of the players.
Cumberland FA will now explore the options and submit to member clubs in the coming weeks.
If you would like to get involved with disability football within the county, either as a player or a volunteer, then contact Jessica Nelson by email via Jessica.Nelson@CumberlandFA.com.