Last week Blackpool FC Community Trust were delighted to deliver 15 sets of football kit to our local SEN school, Park Community Academy.
The tangerine kit has been donated to the school’s PE department to support their Under 12’s football team. In conjunction with this we had seven pupils come along to Blackpool FC stadium with Mr Johnson and Miss Bancroft, to have their photos taken in the stands and pitch side wearing the kit. The pupils who came had a great time, and it was lovely to hear their excitement as they walked around the pitch side, “Wow. This is my first time here. Wow”.
Our BBC Children in Need funding allows us to work in partnership with Park on the lunch time and after school football clubs. This funding also allows the Community Trust to work in other SEN schools across the Blackpool and Fylde areas.
Paul Mullin, Disability Inclusion Officer at Blackpool FC Community Trust said, “Due to our BBC Children in Need funding we are able to work in the SEN schools in the Blackpool and Fylde area, Park Community Academy being one of them. It’s a pleasure working alongside Park, the school is always looking to develop all their students in diverse ways giving them, not just an education, but skills for life and it’s great that the Community Trust gets to be involved in their journey into adulthood. Every time I walk in that school it just feels like one big family.
Offering some of their pupils the chance to come to the stadium and go pitch side is fantastic, as you get to see what it means to the pupils.
At Park we help with a lunch time and after school football club at the school and recently some of the students have been helping on our Tackling Loneliness Together project. The students have written letters about what a school day is like and these will be sent to Blackpool residents who are involved in our Loneliness project.”
Mr Johnson, Park Community Academy, “It’s a fantastic gesture from the Community Trust to donate a full football kit to the school. It’s been a big boost to the pupils and they can’t wait to wear it when they represent the school in the future. Seeing the pupils wearing the kit in the stadium was a great moment and one I am sure they will remember for a long time to come. On the bus home all they spoke about was that they wanted to play for Blackpool when they are older! Thank you once again for all you do for the pupils and staff at PCA.”
Jordan, Park Community Academy pupil, “I loved wearing the kit today and visiting Bloomfield road in it! I felt like a real footballer! Thank you from everyone at the school”.
We were also able to deliver 14 sets of football kit to local high school, Armfield Academy.
The tangerine kit has been donated to the school’s PE department to support their Year 9 football team and the school as it continues to grow.
The bright tangerine shirts, socks and white shorts maintains the link between Blackpool FC and the school’s namesake, Blackpool FC legend Jimmy Armfield. The Academy provides the Community Trust with a state of the art 4G football pitch for our BTEC students to train on as part of their studies and a newly refurbished sports hall to deliver our mini football sessions ‘Tiny Tangerines’.
We also hold the annual multi school Jimmy Armfield Memorial Trophy Tournament there too.
Marc Joseph – Head of Early Years and Primary Provision
“Since the school opened, back in 2018, Blackpool FC Community Trust have worked with Armfield Academy to provide opportunities for local Blackpool residents. With Jimmy’s link to the high school (a former student at Arnold on the same site) and the Football Club, we as the Community Trust feel it is important to embed some of his morals and principles in our partnership work. We run a number of programmes using the amazing facilities at the school and this gesture is a way of saying thanks.”
