Swinton based FA Charter Standard club Moorside Rangers FC have become the first club in the North West to offer a specific football programme for children with Downs Syndrome.

The official launch for the new programme was only a few weeks ago on Sunday 26th February and in only a short space of time the club has attracted 32 young footballers between the ages of 6yrs and 16yrs. The players and parents have travelled across Manchester and the north west including Altrincham, Warrington, Rochdale, Royton, Bolton, Newton Health, Littleborough, Bury, Knutsford, Ashton under Lyne and Merseyside.

Sessions, which take place every 2nd Sunday between 11am to 12pm (6 to 10yrs) and 12pm to 1pm (11 to 16yrs), consist of a warm up, football related drills and games, Mini matches and a penalty shoot out to finish so that every player can go home the hero. The club are now also working closely with the National Downs Syndrome Association and are setting their sights firmly on the creation of some teams from the group of players to play matches against the other clubs within the DS Active programme. The three closest teams to Moorside are Newcastle United, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion. Other teams include Fulham, QPR, Charlton Athletic, Hereford Bulls, Ipswich Town, Cambridgeshire FA, Hull City, Norwich City, Cardiff City, Swindon Town, Harvesters FC, Brighton & Hove Albion, Reading FC, Sunderland and Northampton Town FC.

To cap things off, the work Moorside Rangers have put in has been rewarded with an invitation to the Downs Syndrome Associations DS Active football festival on the 29th April to be held at West Bromwich Albion which will include a tournament, games and competitions. If you would like to see the talented youngsters in action, you won't have to travel to West Bromwich! The City of Salford Soccer League and been given permission to play an exhibition match at their end of season finals programme in May held at Manchester Uniteds training facility at Ayeshire Road.

Well done to Ian and the team at Moorside Rangers FC for all your efforts! Great work!

If you would like to find out more, please contact Ian Clarke at Moorside Rangers via e-mail info@moorsiderangers.com or mobile 07939 091863

Club Website: www.moorsiderangers.com