Norfolk FA - taking football forward in Norfolk
Development - take you skills to the next level

Disability football

Norfolk County FA strives to provide football for all. Disability football plays a part in grass roots football across the region. As a County we are fortunate enough to have a Football Foundation funded position based at Norwich City FC / Norfolk County FA's Football in the Community Scheme, delivering the disability programme for Norfolk following the implementation of the FA Disability Strategy.

Overview of FITC Disability Project

The 4 year project which began in 2004 has entitled them to appoint Darran Lovell as a full-time Disability Officer and he has been able to expand and improve the programme and venture into new areas giving more people the opportunity to play football.

Within the funding received from Football Foundation, Norfolk FA, Ability Counts, Marsh, Norfolk Coalition and Norwich City Football Club there is money available to provide new coaches with the opportunity to take the Level 1 Coaching Award and also attend a Disability Workshop to enhance the coaching on offer to disabled footballers regardless of their disability. The scheme already provides regular coaching to 13 special needs schools in Norfolk and North Suffolk and 8 day care centres covering MLD (Mild Learning Disability), SLD (Severe Learning Disability), EBD ( Emotional Behavioural Difficulties), and Physical Disabilities as well as running evening centres specially designed for anyone who has any kind of disability.

In addition the programme runs childrens' and adults' leagues and also holds football festivals which have been well attended and continue to grow.

The scheme also has a team entered in the adult Eastern Region Disability League, last year's team finishing top of the table. The FA also provides the scheme funding to deliver a disability U17s Centre of Excellence which provides 2 hours a week of quality training to the elite disabled U17s in the County.

If you would like to find out more about FITC’s Disability Programme you can contact Darran Lovell on 01603 761122 or e-mail darren.lovell@ncfc-canaries.co.uk.