Accessible Games Sutton Coldfield
On 14th April 2023, England Hockey attended the Accessible Games in Sutton Coldfield. The event was a fun-filled, interactive, and inclusive afternoon for children, young people and adults, with learning, physical and sensory disabilities, to try a large variety of accessible sports and activities.
England Hockey, supported by Harborne Flyerz volunteers successfully delivered inclusive forms of hockey using a range of adapted equipment to people from ages five to sixty with a range of disabilities.
Heart of England Mencap – Walking Hockey
Over 25 participants took part in free, weekly walking hockey sessions in Warwick and Stratford. Open to anyone in the local community with a learning disability, Heart of England Mencap have removed multiple barriers to participation and encouraged people who want to try a new sport to come along to their fun, social hockey sessions to support their health and wellbeing.
The sessions have proven to be popular, and Heart of England Mencap are now looking to embed hockey as an integral part of their programme moving forwards.
Birmingham Inclusive Sports Festival
On 20th October 2022, England Hockey joined Sport Birmingham at their annual Inclusive Sports Festival.
Schools from around the Birmingham area enjoyed the opportunity to try lots of sports, including hockey. With the majority of young people, never seeing or playing hockey before it was an excellent opportunity to introduce a new group of participants to the sport through the delivery of adapted sessions.
West Midlands Flyerz Festival
Summer 2022 saw the first inclusive grassroots disability hockey festival take place in Birmingham, delivered by Midland Mencap in partnership with Access Sport and England Hockey.
The festival welcomed over 100 participants and showcased the Flyerz programme that enables disabled and non-disabled participants to play together recreationally through adapted sessions and equipment. Please see below details of the festival’s reach and impact.
Oliver Clayton, one of the long-standing disabled players at Harbone Hockey club who took part in the festival, said:
“I really enjoyed this chance to play hockey with all my friends, although my favourite thing is still scoring goals! All of the Flyerz volunteers are brilliant, and the programme is great for me and others to play sport and have fun.”
Next Steps
It has been fantastic to bring hockey to new audiences using community organisations and schools and we are keen to help support more groups in the future.
To find out more about the reach and impact of these sessions, please click on the right hand links to see our project delivery infographic.
If you are interested in delivering hockey to new audiences in your area or are already involved in a similar project, get in touch with us.
HOCKEY FOR EVERYONE
If you are interested in delivering hockey to new communities in your area or are already involved in a similar project
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