Last week it was announced that Cambridge United Community Trust have picked up two awards from Cambridgeshire FA in their yearly Grassroots Football Awards. The awards are given out and recognised for efforts in helping Cambridgeshire's football community grow and develop.
Cambridge United Community Trust's Disability sport officer, Phil Mullen, was chosen as the Coach of the Year while the Community Trust were awarded the Community Project of the Year for its disability sport programme. The awards were given to highlight and recognise the growing opportunities that Cambridge United Community Trust provide for weekly sessions in the community for people with different disabilities.
CUCT have been growing their disability sport programme over the last few years with the work of Phil Mullen leading the way and passionately aiming to continue to provide more opportunities for people with disabilities of all ages to play sport.
CUCT's disability sport programme currently runs a number of different disability sessions across Cambridge. The sessions consist of Ambulant Cerebral Palsy football, Down's syndrome football, Blind football, visually impaired football, Deaf and hearing impaired football, Frame football, Power chair football, amputee football and manual wheelchair football. For more information on any of the sessions, please see: http://www.cuctrust.co.uk/disability-sport/
Ben Szreter, CEO of Cambridge United Community Trust, said: "We're humbled to receive this award for our growing disability sport programme. We want to provide opportunities for as many people as possible to play football and our disability sport programme is a big part of that. I'd also like to congratulate Phil Mullen for his incredible work coaching and inspiring people with various disabilities; he truly deserves the recognition his aware will bring him."
Phil Mullen, Disability Sport Officer for Cambridge United Community Trust, said: "I am very proud to be part of the team that runs Cambridge United Community trust's disability sport programme which has been named Cambridgeshire FA Grassroots Community Project of the Year. Over the past few years I have seen the disability football sessions go from strength to strength. From offering two sessions, one for Cerebral Palsy players and one for Down's Syndrome players when we first started, this has now increased to 11 separate impairment specific sessions per week and our annual disability football festival, hosted by Histon Hornets FC.
"I am truly honoured & humbled at being named Cambridgeshire FA Grassroots Football Coach of the Year. I get my reward at every session I coach, when I see lots of smiling faces and hear lots of giggles from people having fun. I would like to thank all of my players for being amazing and great fun to coach and all the parents and carers who give their time to bring players to sessions, you are my heroes. I would like to thank Cambridge United Community Trust who have helped and supported me to achieve my goal of providing fun football sessions for all."