Players from Oxford Bulls who played their first friendly game on Monday night. PIX BY KEVIN MORRISON
A TEAM of Derry footballers with Down’s Syndrome have played their first match after featuring in a video with lad turned Premier footballer James McClean.
The Oxford Bulls took on Sion Sonics on Monday night – another local team featuring players with Down’s syndrome – in its first friendly game after their story with Creggan-born James went viral.
The team’s Kevin Morrison said it was “a night to remember”.
“We started off with about six or seven players and things just blossomed from there,” Mr Morrison told BBC Radio Foyle.
“Things have been crazy the past couple of months since the video with James McClean went viral.
“Footballer Paddy McCourt has also been to meet the boys. The good will and support has been phenomenal.
“We’ve been training for two years and getting a match was a big thing for the boys.”
Sion Sonics have also been training for a year and hoping for a match, just like the Bulls.
“There are different needs within the groups,” said Mr Morrison.
Creggan’s big hearted James McClean helps out Derry’s Oxford Bulls team. PIX BY KEVIN MORRISON
“Crowds, cheering and a different venue could have been an issue for the boys, so we took them to a parish hall for the match.
“They really enjoyed it every minute and we didn’t keep a score.
“As José Mourinho would say, it’s not about the result. It was about our boys getting out into the community and they were amazing.”
The Oxford Bulls club was established with the help of the Foyle Down’s Syndrome Trust which provides a wide range of activities for young people and adults with the condition.
A mother, whose 10-year-old son plays for the team, said the club had given her 10-year-old son confidence and helped him make friends.
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