Football and English are two international languages that are understood all over the world.This Premier Skills story can help you with both of these world languages.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a football fanatic or you know nothing about the beautiful game — there will be something interesting here for you.

We can’t all be professional footballers but one thing that makes football great is that anyone can play.A programme at Fulham Football Club in London is working with a group of children who haven’t always been able to be part of a team.

(1) What’s happening at Fulham?

Once a week for the last three years, trainers at Fulham have been working with a group of children.Each week,the children meet up for a training session.The sessions concentrate on the basic skills of football — passing, control, teamwork.Occasionally, they play matches against other teams.There are training sessions like this at Premier League clubs around the country but what makes this Fulham team special is that the children in this group all have Down’s syndrome.The Fulham Badgers, as the team is known, are the first Down’s syndrome team in the country.

(2) What is Down’s syndrome?

Down’s syndrome affects about one in a thousand people and causes learning difficulties.People with Down’s syndrome also sometimes have problems taking part in physical activities.Because of this, and because they look different, children with Down’s syndrome haven’t always had the opportunity to do what other children do and join in with team sports.

(3) Making opportunities

The Fulham project lets the young people train regularly and also get the chance to improve their self-confidence as part of the team.It’s also important to show that football is not only about winning cups and scoring goals.Football can also help young People — whoever they are — become more confident and healthier.It can give the children opportunities they might not get anywhere else and help break down the barriers that these youngsters experience in everyday life.

(4) Support from the players

Top Fulham players have also been training with the children.Footballers such as the Norwegian international Erik Nevland have lent their support to the team.After working with the youngsters in a penalty shoot-out, striker Erik Nevland said: ‘I love doing this.It’s good to come out in the community and let people see who you really are.’

(5) Is it working?

The impact of the team on the children’s lives has been really powerful.Managers and coaches say that the children are making very good progress.‘We’ve seen improvements in self-confidence, weight and physical co-ordination,’ says one.

(6) Back at Fulham

Fulham are really proud of their achievements with the Badgers, and hope that more Premier League clubs will launch their own teams, so the Badgers will have other teams to play matches against.Down’s syndrome is one of the most common forms of learning disability and Fulham Football Club is giving youngsters the opportunity to play the sport that they love.

ACTIVITY 1

Can sports men and women help in the community?

What happens in your country?

E-mail us and let us know: premierskills@britishcouncil.org

ACTIVITY 2

These sentences are a summary of the text.Can you match each sentence with the right paragraph? The first one has been done for you.

Children with Down’s syndrome don’t always get a chance to play sport.(2)

Fulham players are involved in the project.( )

The first Down’s syndrome football team train at Fulham once a week.( )

The football club is proud of its work with the team.( )

The project helps show that football is for everyone.( )

The project is helping the children in a number of ways.( )

ACTIVITY 3

Find the correct preposition in the text to complete these sentences.

1 The sessions concentrate ____ the basic skills of football.

2 They play matches _____ other teams.

3 They sometimes have problems taking part _____ physical activity.

4 They can’t join in ______ team sports.

5 Fulham players sometimes train ______ the children.

6 We’ve seen improvements _____ self-confidence.

ACTIVITY 4

Find out more Use the internet to find out more about the Fulham Down’s syndrome team.Is there anything similar in your country?

Search terms (search in English)

Fulham Badgers

disabled football in [my country]

YOU ARE THE REF by Keith Hackett and Paul Trevillion

A player you’ve already booked commits another offence, but the opposition has a clear goal scoring chance, so you play on: you decide to send him off when the ball next goes dead.But as play continues, the other team get the ball, kick it up the pitch and suddenly the player you planned to send off now scores a goal.What do you do?