Ashford United's disability section plan to increase number of teams from two to five in time for next season to meet demand

By Faye Hackwell

Ashford United Football Club’s disability section is expanding to meet demand.

The club currently have two under-11s disability teams but so many families have asked for spaces, there are plans to add a third under-11s team and two new teams for 11-to-13-year-olds and 13-to-16-year-olds next season.

The squad was set up by coach Daniel Ambler last summer, after he experienced his eight-year old autistic son, Jack, not being passed to in training sessions or getting game time with another local team.

“I posted on Facebook asking if there was any interest in setting up a disability team in Ashford as the nearest one was in Maidstone and my phone didn’t stop ringing for two to three weeks,” Ambler said.

“I expected four or five when I set the team up and we’ve ended up with 17 - and all 17 are still with us.”

The Avengers and Assassins - whose team names were chosen by the players themselves - play in the Kent Disability Football League, which consists of 50 teams from 14 clubs based across Kent and South East London.

All teams in their division span the eight-to-11-year old age group and, rather than play matches weekly, the whole division meets once a month at Abbey School in Faversham for a festival-style day.

The 17 players are split across the two teams and each child receives equal game time during matches.

They play in the pan-disability division, with some of the players having autism and ADHD and some having physical disabilities, including one who uses a walking frame.

Many of the parents say that whatever their child’s reason for playing in the disability team, the squad provides a place where all players are accepted for who they are and treated equally.

For eight-year old Eddie Mustafa, who