At 23 years old Charley is an experienced, bubbly and committed female footballer who has always had a passion for football.
Though it was not until she joined 1066 Specials FC that she really had the opportunity to explore all possibilities within football and Charley grabbed this chance with both hands and hasnt looked back since.
Charley always enjoyed football during her school years but did not belong to any clubs outside of school until 1066 Specials FC. 1066 Specials are a fantastic all inclusive disability football club and as soon as Charley heard about them she was keen to join.This has been a great opportunity for Charley to build new friendships, socialise and build confidence and self-esteem.
Warming up
Charley has 18q Syndrome, mild learning difficulties, low muscle tone and a hearing impairment but this has never stopped Charley from reaching her full potential. 1066 Specials have provided an excellent opportunity for Charley to gain a Level 1 coaching course, where she has been able to use her skills to support the coaching of the juniors as well as playing for the club her self. Charley is a role model within the club and passes on her own experience to those younger players who want to follow in her footsteps.
Charley’s mum said “This has made a tremendous difference to Charley and her confidence, she has developed her confidence to enable her to provide guidance, not only to the juniors but also to her fellow team mates”
Charley thoroughly enjoys football in both areas of coaching and playing and always looks forwards to the tournaments provided by the Sussex Disability Football League. Outside of football, Charley can now feel very proud and this has led to her developing her social skills further and is now able to talk to friends and family about her fantastic achievements.
We were lucky enough to hear from Charley and get a good insight to life as a player at 1066 Specials “I like playing in a team with friends as I like to learn new skills and it helps me to keep fit. It also gives me the opportunity to socialise and gives me a purpose to get out of bed. The Sussex Disability Football League gives me the opportunity to compete against other teams. The best part is being able to score goals”
Charley and her Teammates
Paul Anderson, Chairperson at 1066 Specials is one of Charley’s biggest supporters and he added “Charley has been coming to our football club for over seven years now. She has represented our football teams at the Kent and Sussex disability league tournaments and was one of the first female players to participate in FA league tournaments. She is a regular on the training pitch on a Saturday morning where she has improved her fitness and football skills over the years. Charley’s most impressive achievement to date is qualifying as a Level 1 FA coach in 2015 and she is currently putting these skills to good use at our junior training sessions on a Saturday morning. Charley is a valued member of our football club, who , as well as benefiting from playing football in the tournaments is also putting time and effort back into the club by assisting our coaches with the junior football training sessions. Both a pleasure to coach and to coach with, keep up the good work Charley”
1066 Specials FC are always looking to recruit more players and in particular would like to see more female players taking part in their events. If you would like to join Charley or would like to find out more about 1066 Specials FC please take a look at their Website:
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