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SUPPORT: Hashtag United’s disability team

By Paul Martin

HASHTAG United hope their ever-expanding offering for disabled footballers will be taken to new heights with the aid of their latest Trident Community Foundation grant.

The Tags are among the most recent recipients of a funding boost from the project, established by Pitching In, which has so far handed out over £100,000 to support new and existing community projects across the Trident Leagues.

In addition to growing their disability setup, the Pitsea-based outfi t plan to build on their walking football sessions for people with early onset dementia as they bid to support players of all ages. “Our numbers in the disability teams have increased signifi cantly over the last two years,” said Hashtag vice-chairman Derrick Pearson.

“We’ve made sure they feel part of the club. They are entering into a local Essex league this year and they played their fi rst fi xtures at a fi ve-a-side tournament recently. “We cater for a whole host of disabilities – some have cerebal palsy, some have mental challenges, and it’s very well supported by the families who are there every week.

“We want to increase the number of coaches, hence the grant we’ve got, which we hope to use for a specialist coach to help push these children on.” This is Hashtag’s second TCF grant, with the fi rst used to help both aforementioned projects grow to their current point.

One of the club’s coaches, Sonny Mara, was recently named Essex FA’s 2022/23 Coach of the Year within the Disability Pathway section while Hashtag’s work supporting local residents with dementia is also continuing to grow.

“There are not many similar opportunities around our area, so numbers are increasing all the time,” Pearson added. “We have qualifi ed coaches on a Friday who work with them and try and improve their walking football. 

“The participation and enthusiasm is fantastic and again, we’ve got the families involved to come and watch their relatives play football They played their fi rst game against Billericay last year and we intend to build on that this season. We are not a club for box ticking. These players love being where they are.” Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting https://pitchingin volunteers.co.uk/