The club has trained with the Nottingham Forest squad and even interviewed former head coach Nuno Espírito Santo
Helen holds sessions every Thursday at the Monty Hind Youth Centre in Lenton.(Image: Nathan Woollard)
A mum who started an inclusive football club after her son was left behind at previous teams has created a space where players with disabilities can feel part of a team.
Helen Coppings founded Warriors United, a football club for children and young adults with disabilities in Nottinghamshire, in 2021 after she noticed her son Matt was feeling left behind at a previous club.
The club has gone from strength to strength ever since, with players training alongside the Nottingham Forest squad and even interviewing the club’s former head coach, Nuno Espírito Santo.
Opening up on the club’s creation, Helen said: “Matt has autism and down-syndrome and was at a football group for disabled people for five years.
“But I noticed that those who were a lot less able, and less competitive like him were being left behind.”
Helen said she wanted to create something completely non-competitive and accessible to all severities of disability.
She added: “We work on the basis where if there is no one-to-one support, it’s not worth running. We are all volunteers here, except for two paid football coaches.”
At the end of each weekly session, players get the chance to take a penalty kick(Image: Nathan Woollard)
Ms Coppings said she tries to cater to families with a lower income by subsiding the club’s football kits at a much lower fee.
Tana Brown, 26 has been a volunteer at the club for five years.
She said: “I haven’t grown up around disability, but I’ve learnt so much during the time I’ve been here. Seeing the joy on their faces makes me happy.”
Helen thinks that running the Lenton-based club has brought her and the players special opportunities, such as the chance to train with players at Nottingham Forest in their home stadium.
She said: “I pestered a guy at Forest for ages, we wore him down eventually and he invited us down.
“We interviewed Nuno and that got millions of views.”
Helen added that her son Matt has been apart of the Special Olympics’ basketball programme, which she said was a lovely opportunity to play in a competitive but safe environment.
Nicola Mowberry is a football fan and regular attendee of Warriors United.
She said: “I love warm ups, passing the ball and scoring goals.”
Joe Taylor has been a member of the club for five years, and feels happy when he is in football-related environments.
He said: “I love scoring goals, It feels amazing. I love making friends here, I feel very happy.”
Joe Taylor loves scoring goals, and said playing makes him feel excited(Image: Nathan Woollard)
As part of her efforts to make activities inclusive to all, Helen also created “Nottingham Dance Warriors” which has expanded to Retford and Mansfield to provide inclusive dance sessions.
Reuben Gaude is a coach at Warriors United for three years and appreciates how difficult life can be for people living with disabilities.
He said: “I’m naturally a very compassionate person, so this comes very natural to me.
“I play football at a very high level, so I don’t mind giving them a part of myself – it’s amazing and something I can’t express but can definitely feel.”
Steven is the dad of another Warriors United regular, Roman.
He believes the club has allowed him and Roman, both football fans, the opportunity to spend quality time together in a safe environment.
“Before this, I really struggled to find somewhere for him to play football.
“He lives and breathes football, in a supermarket he’s distressed and won’t talk to anyone, but at a Forest Game he comes out of his shell”, he said.
Coaches Matt Jessop (left) and Reuben Gaude have backgrounds working with SEN children and find running sessions very rewarding(Image: Nathan Woollard)
Founder Helen Coppings believes the club helps players gain significant confidence in and off the pitch.
She said: “achievement isn’t measured by how good they are at kicking a ball, rather how much they’ve progressed as an individual.”
As part of her efforts to make activities more inclusive, Helen also created “Nottingham Dance Warriors” which has expanded to Retford and Mansfield to provide inclusive dance sessions.
At the end of each session at the club, players and coaches will congregate in the middle of the hall in a circle, where they will each put their hands in the middle before looking up and shouting ‘warriors’.
Helen explained that this is a tradition that came about during a tragic time for the club.
She said: “One player, who is the twin of another here, sadly died of liver failure at just 15 while waiting for a transplant. This shook us all, and telling the players was one of the hardest things, but it brought us all closer and that’s why we do hands in.”
Matt Jessop has a background working with SEN children, and finds coaching at Warriors United very rewarding.
He said: “Seeing them do the simplest of things, like kicking a ball is so amazing because it’s something we all take for granted.”
Ms Coppings hopes to see Warriors United grow, and wants more disabled children to experience the sessions on offer.