Leeds United are celebrating World Cerebral Palsy Day today, the annual event that encourages people around the world to come together to celebrate and support those living with cerebral palsy (CP).
World Cerebral Palsy Day recognises the need to embrace diversity whilst also helping to create a more accessible and inclusive future for everyone. There are currently more than 17 million people worldwide affected by cerebral palsy, giving us millions of reasons why celebrating this campaign is so important.
Everyday people with cerebral palsy have to deal with the struggles that come with having the disorder, breaking down barriers, and trying to come up with solutions that will hopefully make their life easier.
The Leeds United Foundation have been working with youngsters suffering with cerebral palsy for over three years, delivering weekly football sessions to make sure that they have the same rights, access, and opportunities as anyone else in the local community to play the game we all love.
This annual movement is a key date that helps to create awareness and action around cerebral palsy, to ensure opportunities like those with the club’s official charity, are increased because every person living with cerebral palsy is a reason to strive for change.
The Leeds United Foundation CP football team includes both boys and girls, with a number of those players playing competitively in the West Riding Ability Counts League.
During the weekly sessions, the FA qualified coaches at the Foundation help the children to improve their footballing abilities with various training drills and small games, whilst also supporting them with developing a number of social skills, including teamwork, leadership, motivation and self-confidence, among others.
If you’d like to celebrate World Cerebral Palsy Day, please tag in @worldcpday and use the hashtags #MillionsOfReasons and #WorldCerebralPalsyDay.
The club recently spent time with youngster Coopa, who suffers with cerebral palsy and trains with the Leeds United Foundation, to find out more about her life please click here.
