Ricardo Gardner spent time with junior players from Bolton Wanderers Disability Football Club on Wednesday evening at Smithills Sports Centre to experience how people with mixed disabilities play football.

The flying winger called in as part of Creating Chances - the Barclays Premier League's flagship community programme which engages communities and supporters across the UK.



Ricardo helped the juniors undertake their warm-up before participating in a basic coaching session.

His visit highlighted the work that Bolton Wanderers Football in the Community are doing to ensure that people with all disabilities and impairments have the chance to play the game.

Football in the Community currently run two evening coaching sessions a week for children with disabilities and it was decided three years ago that a disability club should be formed and become a branch of Football in the Community.



Bolton Wanderers Disability Football Club has recently been awarded The FA Charter Standard Club mark and is one of the first disability clubs to be affiliated to the Manchester FA and in the first ten nationwide to attend this mark.

Speaking about the initiative, Gardner said: "It's brilliant news for everyone who lives in Bolton that our football club are working so hard to give all their supporters and everyone in the area the opportunities to play football and are breaking down all barriers which stand in the way to enable football to be inclusive for everybody."

For more information on BWDFC please contact Steve Obertelli on 01204 480601 or sobertelli@bwfitc.co.uk