Ten years of 1066 Specials football team
THIS month sees the 10th anniversary of 1066 Specials and celebrations are planned for everyone who’s ever been part of the disability football team.
Founder Harold Lawrence has been sending out invitations to the party on Saturday March 23 and was “astonished” to discover that 225 youngsters have been involved with the club since its inception.
“It is incredible,” Harold commented. “That includes little ones, adults, players who have got older and moved on, but who have all had some fun out of 1066 Specials. It does make you feel great. I think ‘fun’ is the word. It is run 100 percent by volunteers but someone recently asked me how much I get paid for what I do, and I replied I’ve had so much out of this club money could not buy it. I have been repaid one hundred times over.”
He started the club with great-nephew Martin Forsdyke as inspiration, and quickly realised the importance for young people of having their own club.
Martin will be presenting awards at the party. Harold said: “ He was the cause of all this. I thought it would make more sense for him to do it than get a big name who might or might not have impact.
“When we started the club we saw not only the improvement in him as a lad, and other players, but also parents who were involved. They had something to hang on to as well.
“My understanding was that, yes, they belonged to schools, organsations, institutions, whatever, but there was not a club for them as there were for other young people in town, to give the chance of going to play football, in the same way brothers or sisters might do.
“So then they could come to play for the 1066 Specials, and that was the difference, the fundamental difference I was trying to achieve, to give them equality with their contemporaries. And I think that has been done now. It has taken a long time but we have a club that is established within the community.”
1066 Specials has four adult teams, with two playing in the Kent Disability League.
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
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Wind direction: North
