Chichester College team's success shows football is for everyone

The college’s inclusion football team have reached the Association of Colleges Sport national finals after excelling at a regional tournament.

They beat teams from Havant & South Downs (7-0) and Highbury Colleges (2-0) during the competition – the goals coming from Jordan Butler (6), Danny Killhams (2) and Kieron Holden.

It means the team reach next year’s finals, where they will be competing against the best college pan-disability teams from across England and Wales – as well as aiming to accumulate points for the South East region.

Lecturer and coach Dave Daniel said: “We are unbelievably proud of the team – they played their socks off and really deserve their place at nationals. We defended well and scored a number of fantastic goals throughout the competition. They did really well.

“It’s really important to give all players a chance to play, regardless of their ability, gender, race or disability – football is all- encompassing, and it’s great to see the team’s commitment to playing the best they can. They show great determination at training and that’s reflected on the pitch.”

Andrew Green, executive principal at the Chichester College Group, added: “This is a fantastic achievement, especially for a team that is in its first year together.

“To see players with different disabilities coming together to overcome their challenges on the football pitch is inspiring – it’s what the game is all about. I’m sure I speak for the whole college when I say how proud we are and we’ll be cheering them on at the AOC Sport national finals.”