Newtownabbey Kickers.
Trustees Chairman:Vice Chair: Secretary: Treasurer.
TRUSTEE’S REPORT
Registered Charity 101379.
Reporting for Newtownabbey Kickers. Year 2016/2017.
Public Benefits;
The club was formed in 2014 with the purposes of providing public benefits by means of encouraging participation in and enjoyment of all sports but focussing especially on Association Football.
We offer disabled young people the opportunity to socially engage outside of school/college and take part in sport. It is our earnest desire that through playing team sports in a safe environment we can help to improve life skills such as confidence and the ability to integrate with other children. We wish to inspire our members to continue to play sports as they grow older. There is no harm flowing from this purpose.
We seek to develop the skills of all participating players and volunteers through taking part in physical activity, delivered by qualified volunteers. This includes the practice of fundamental movements (catching, kicking, running, jumping, hand eye coordination and balance). We seek to improve the physical literacy of our young members. Our volunteers will also develop their own skills through communications, organising and coordinating sessions of various age groups. These skills for both young participants and volunteers can be transferred into other aspects of their life - be that academically or socially. No harm flows from this purpose.
The aims where to develop the lifestyle and fitness of all participating disabled players; through engendering an ethos of respect, teamwork, equality and opportunities for all throughout our sessions. Newtownabbey Kickers seeks to shape the outlook and perceptions of children and young people in such a way that they grow up open minded. By providing physical activity through sport, our activities will help to improve the general physical health of children and young people. Some measurable benefits of this will be an improvement in aerobic capacity and helping with weight loss. There is no harm flowing from this purpose.
We provide a positive, safe and competitive environment in which to play disabled football. Through this we are providing a public benefit by promoting amateur sport. This benefits young disabled males and females as they grow into men and women, helping their physical and psychological development. There is no harm flowing from this purpose.
We provide as and when required, in conjunction with the Irish Football Association local disability leagues and clubs, educational courses covering player protection, football development, drug awareness, dietary requirements, first aid and other relevant education for all participating players and officials. Through this purpose, we are educating children and young people around key societal issues, in partnership with the governing body for Association Football. This provides a benefit through improving knowledge. There is no harm flowing from this purpose.
At all times we promote sportsmanship and fair play in young footballers, officials and parents, irrespective of gender, race, religion or social status; this purpose ensures an open door policy, where children and young people, as well as volunteers from various religions, ethnicities are welcome to become involved within our club. This provides public benefit through improving cross community relationships and community cohesions within our catchment areas and surrounding communities in Newtownabbey / Carrickfergus / Larne. No harm flows from this purpose.
Our Beneficiaries
Newtownabbey exists for the benefit of its members. Membership is open to anyone interested in participating in football on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. At present, this consists of disabled players/children both male and female ranging in age from 5 years to 15 years old with the majority of our members in the age bracket 9 - 15 years old.
How We Achieve Our Objectives
We achieve our objectives partly by renting a Indoor Halls and outdoor 3G pitches at the Valley Lesuire Centre Newtownabbey and also Jordanstown University.
These venues accommodate indoor and outdoor football pitches which allows us to train in-doors and outdoors throughout the year - something which is especially useful for the disabled participants who no longer have to brave the elements when winter training.
At all times, our training takes place in supervised, safe surroundings where Child Protection and Safeguarding of Children is our priority at all times.
All players train once a week for at least an hour per session and normally on a Sunday 11am till 12pm but sometimes mid week as well as attending matches and tournaments. Through this we seek to improve the fitness levels, diet, spatial awareness, mental agility and team participation skills of our members as well as encouraging as much social interaction as possible.
We do our utmost to ensure that our dedicated coaches receive the best training we can afford to provide and all coaches are trained to IFA Level 1 or above. This ensures that our members benefit from the best informed coaching using up to date training methodologies.
We spend time educating members’ parents as to the best way to conduct themselves within the club and also when acting as ambassadors for our club. To this end, we have a Parents’ Code of Conduct that all parents are expected to adhere to for the good of our members and all other parties we come into contact with.
We have a strict anti-bullying policy and strong Child Protection & Welfare policies within the club supported by trained Child Welfare Officers.
Risk of Harm and Private Benefit
In providing organised sports activities to our members there is always a risk of harm. This risk is always carefully evaluated and we adhere to all health and safety guidelines laid down by the leagues we are involved with as well as our governing body (the IFA).
Risk assessments are undertaken every year and the liaises with both venues to ensure that all health and safety issues are highlighted and addressed.
All appropriate Fire Safety measures are in place and clear evacuation routes are marked as well as fire extinguishers provided. All volunteers have received the relevant Health & Safety, First Aid and Child Protection training, where appropriate. A defibrillator, ice packs and First Aid kits are available in the Council and are covered by the Council’s strict health & safety policies.
Our Child Protection policies are adhered to at all times and no child or adult is ever placed in a situation of risk or where harm can occur.
Staff and volunteers are trained and receive regular refresher training on any appropriate harm prevention policies. We do not believe there is a risk of harm as defined by our charity registration.
There is not any private benefit arising from the activities of the club and therefore any benefit is incidental or necessary in the fulfilment of our purposes.
Volunteers
We have 12 volunteers. 8 coaches and 4 non-coaching volunteers – also this including our 5 Trustees. Together they donate approximately 20 hours per week of their time to promoting the values of the club and for the benefit of our members. No payment is received for this. Coaches & Trustees who spend many hours every week working for the good of the club and who have a child who is a member pay membership fees when asked, just as any other member.
Club Management
The Committee oversees all fiscal matters and ensures that club policies are adhered to at all times. The committee meets three times a year, also holds an annual AGM but committee members will meet or speak to each other much more often (typically 3-4 times a week).
We communicate with members and their parents via email and SMS text. We have a system that allows for the mass dissemination of information in this way. One to one meetings are used to address individual needs. All systems are fully GDPR compliant.
The club is well known and respected within the local community but, Autism N.I also act as a referral service and all newly diagnosed children with Autism are signposted to our club. But we are generally poor in informing the local community about what we do and how to attend as we spend so much time actually undertaking it!
Coaches work many selfless hours to deliver the quality of footballing tuition and guidance that our members require. The Committee supports them in whatever way it can. We provide as much coach education - primarily, though not exclusively, through the IFA.
Policies and Procedures
Policies currently include:
Safeguarding Children. Member Registration. Donations. Player Code of Conduct. Coach / Volunteer Charter: Parent Code of Conduct.
Parents & Coaching.
Safeguarding Children Policy Statement. How the club chooses its members.
All Players and Parents/Guardians of Young Players must accept this as part of their club Membership
All Coaches & Volunteers must adhere to this at all times Parents/Guardians of Young Players must adhere to this.
Training and Development.
In the last 12 months, we trained several Coach Education. In addition, we regularly have in-house skills transfer sessions between coaches and bring in outside coaches to teach and assist. We support volunteering by ensuring that our coaches have the appropriate training, equipment and facilities to do what they have to. In the last 12 months we have spent £1483,07 on facilities hire and £1181,31 upon new training equipment for the disabled participants.
Club Overview.
The club started the new season with a family fun day, all club attendees and siblings attended, with the ethos of allowing disabled children to share the days experiences with non disabled children, the fun day was a great success with over 30 families attending and enjoying the festivities.
With such success form the summer fun day the club also operated a Club Xmas party, again with disabled and non disabled children attending and throughly enjoying the day.
The club was also very honoured to be selected for Disability Football Club of the year by our governing body the Irish Football Association and it also boasted the IFA’s only junior football club for disabled children aged five to fifteen within Northern Ireland.
The club was also like to thank all the parents, children and volunteers that make the club work and look forward to another season ahead.
Mr Ferguson Baxter. Chairperson.