Glentoran DFC Juniors

Glentoran established a Disability Football Section in 2016. This section is for males and females with a learning and/or physical disability who would find it difficult to play the traditional 11-a-side game in mainstream football. At the beginning numbers were quite limited but the staff and players did a lot of outreach work in the local community within special education and with disability organisations. Fast forward to 2019 and the Glentoran Disability Section is seen as a model of best practice for Inclusive Clubs in Northern Ireland.

With over 70 players registered, the club operates two sections. The Junior Section is for ages 7 to 14 and the Senior Section is for ages 15 and over. Each section meets twice a week for an hour-long session. The 8 staff involved have all qualified through Irish FA Level 1 Coaching Disabled Footballers Award and they are also minimum IFA Level 1 qualified. They have 2 x 5-a-side Junior teams playing in the IFA Junior Disability Cup Programmes and 3 x 5-a-side Senior teams playing in the IFA Disability League. They also participate in the George Best Community Cup and have won on several occasions in many of the 4 ability bands