Millwall’s Pan Disability sides have had a great year for both individual player development and Team progress.
The Under 17 team has improved their team play, showing great passing skills and more coordinated movement during both defensive and attacking phases.
We also welcomed new players into training sessions, joining an already fantastic and well-established group, with strong friendships that continue to grow through the sessions.
The Team achieved great results in the matches played at Arsenal, including a strong win on our last visit to their Community Centre. The Under 17s also had a very positive result against the Adult Team, winning the match.
This was introduced to allow players to experience more competitive matches and to give some of our youngest players the opportunity to begin their transition into adult football.
Following the positive feedback, we will be repeating this experience again in the new year.
We also attended the Middlesex Pan Disability League for the first time. Once again, we were very proud of the Team, who played extremely well in competitive matches, showing skills, great Team effort and resilience. The results included one win, one draw, and two narrow losses, where we were a little unlucky.
Overall, it has been a very positive season, and we can already see strong improvement coming in the new year. The Adult Team had a challenging start to the season, with a couple of disappointing results, but the response was excellent.
The side turned things around with strong performances and great results in several matches, especially the home match against Arsenal, which we won, finishing as runners-up at the Bromley Cup Tournament and a victory of one of the Friendship League Tournament with the League 1 Team.
One of the biggest achievements for the Adult Team has been the record number of attendees at training sessions.
This has allowed us to work with two different teams, making sure sessions better match players’ abilities. Another important achievement has been the improvement in players travelling independently to match destinations, showing growing confidence and independence.
We have also been working to consolidate and change the format of the Friendship League into a monthly event. This will give our players more regular opportunities to play and, we hope, attract more clubs in the future to help grow the league.
On a personal level, I am extremely proud to have received the Premier League Community Captain Award at The Den.
However, just as important has been seeing the development, commitment, and behaviour of our players during sessions and tournaments. It has been great to see the constant growth of the teams and the strong relationships built with clubs across London and beyond.
Having the Millwall Pan Team recognised as a reference point for other clubs and young people in the Pan Disability football field was highlighted by the visit we received from Japan from Naoki and Akira from the Yokohama City Football Club, who came to learn about our work with the Pan Teams and the Millwall Community Trust in the community.
Finally, a huge thank you to parents and carers for their continued support. In the new year, we will bring the same enthusiasm if not more to continue improving our Teams, developing the League, creating new opportunities for our players and the ambitious to expanding sessions and opportunities for young people.
