WITH NIC DARVENIZA, ELIZA REILLY & TOM BOSWELL
IT’S AN INCLUSIVE WORLD GAME
JAY Hoy can remember the exact moment he decided it was time to create an inclusive and accessible football program.
“I was coaching Under-14’s football at the time and I remember looking over to the sidelines and seeing a special needs boy sitting down watching us train,” Hoy said.
“He looked like he wanted to join in and I wanted to get him involved but it’s so hard to find a suitable program.”
A few months later and Hoy partnered with Gold Coast United to launch the Accessible Football program, offering players of all abilities a safe, fun structured environment to enjoy the game. The program is now more than a year old and while COVID-19 forced Hoy and accredited coach and Gold Coast United NPL captain Michael Thwaite to briefly abandon the program, Hoy is preparing to run the program the first Sunday of each month — including this Sunday.
“A mum came up to us and she has two kids, one special needs and one not, and she said her boy now feels like he’s part of something,” he said.
“He’s got his own kit and it’s no longer him sitting on the sidelines watching his brother train.”
This weekend also marks the long-awaited return National Premier League Women’s football for Gold Coast United.
After leading the competition before the shutdown, Gold Coast United will relaunch their season with a home clash against Mitchelton Football Club on Saturday afternoon.