Dear readers,
It’s been a thrilling quarter for Everton in the Community’s disability teams, once again showcasing their talent and progress. Our Down Syndrome team took part in a special Showcase Event at Finch Farm, joined by first-team players and featured in key media outlets. The Visually Impaired team impressed once again with a hard-fought draw against last season’s champions, whilst our Amputee team secured two wins to keep them joint top of the league.
Our Down Syndrome team had a special opportunity to take part in this season’s Showcase Event at Finch Farm. This event highlights the diverse programmes offered by Everton in the Community, with the men’s first-team players showing their support for the season.
On the day, Jake O’Brien, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Jesper Lindstrøm, and Beto joined our DS team for an exciting session, with two players on each team competing for bragging rights.
The event received fantastic media coverage from Everton TV, The Daily Mirror, and Radio Merseyside, who spoke with some of our players about their journeys and experiences with EitC. The Daily Mirror later featured a special interview with Saif Abu-Hassan and his father, sharing their story and celebrating his time at Everton.
Visually Impaired team fixtures
Our Visually Impaired team took on two of the league’s toughest opponents in this month’s fixtures, showing just how much they’ve progressed.
First up was Birmingham, last season’s league champions. In a thrilling match, our team held their own and secured a well-earned 5-5 draw, putting their first point on the board. This result is a testament to their growth—going head-to-head with the reigning champions in just their second season is a huge achievement.
Next, they faced Merseyside Blind, a strong and experienced top-division team. Despite a hard-fought 5-3 loss, our players showed incredible determination, further proving how far they’ve come in such a short time. The team’s continued improvement is clear, and they are only getting stronger with each game.
Our Amputee team returned for their second round of league fixtures this month, starting the day top of the table after an impressive three wins from three in the previous round.
The first match was a highly anticipated clash against Portsmouth, a fixture many had marked as the game of the day. It was a tightly contested battle, but unfortunately, we fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Next, we faced Newcastle United, the league’s newcomers. Their strong defensive setup made it tough to break through, but a well-worked goal from Liam Burbridge finally broke the deadlock. The team held firm to secure a 1-0 victory and three valuable points.
The final match of the day was against Chelsea, who, like Newcastle, made it difficult for us to find our rhythm. However, a brilliant goal from defender Sean Jackson was enough to secure another 1-0 win. With two victories from our three games in this round, we now sit joint top of the table heading into next month’s first cup competition of the season.
Finally, for those who follow English Premiership football, you are probably aware that our senior men’s team will play their last match at Goodison Park in May. It will be a sad and memorable day for all involved with this club’s almost 150-year history, but as Everton legend Andy Gray put it, “We may be leaving Goodison, but Goodison will never leave us”. A fabulous new stadium now awaits us at Bramley Moore and so it is also onward and upward for Everton in the Community!
