Debbie has been bringing her son Daniel to Turn Up & Play’s football sessions for the last four weeks after he was rejected from his school’s team. Despite the short amount of time, she has already seen an improvement in his confidence.
“I brought Daniel along so he can play football and be part of a team,” she said of her 9-year-old. “If he does then join a team, he’ll already have the skills.”
She added how much he’s gained since he started attending.
“Because he has ADHD he doesn’t get picked for the teams at school,” Debbie said. “He enjoys it. He knew nothing about football before, and it’s helping him.
“He’s a really bad loser so the fact he doesn’t always win gives him that life skill that people don’t win all the time, so that’s helping him.”
“It’s kids like him that need a bit of extra help and it’s nice he can come here and play with a team that isn’t all about being in a league. It’s just given him the confidence to play football,” she continued.
The mum also praised how the coaches have handled her sons ADHD, and how the sessions give him a no-pressure environment to play sport.
“He has a lot of issues in himself, and can change his mind quite frequently. Because the sessions are free [Funded by Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk Community Foundation], the pressure isn’t on. If he doesn’t want to be here, then he doesn’t have to be.
“But it gives him an hour, he gets to run around, he already knows the coaches because he comes to the holiday clubs, he is happy to be here.”
For more information about Turn Up & Play, visit here.
Also read: ‘Turn Up & Play has transformed my sons self-confidence’
