New football team for players with Down Syndrome established in Derry

Meet Derry’s new football team – the Oxford Bulls.

But this is no ordinary team.

All the young footballers have Down Syndrome and the team has been set up to give them a chance to take part in a game they all love.

The team has been set up with the support of the Foyle Down Syndrome Trust which provides a wide range of activities for young people and adults with the condition.

The seeds for what was to become the Oxford Bulls were sown at the end of 2015.

The fathers of some young local boys with Down Syndrome wanted to let them have an opportunity to play football.

Among them was Kevin Morrison, whose son, Adam, is a huge football fan.

“Adam had been to training sessions with Oxford United and really enjoyed it,” said Kevin.

“So, with the support of the Foyle Down Syndrome Trust, a few of the parents got together in October 2015 and we booked the Foyle Futsal Centre which was an ideal sized venue for our kids.

“For the first year, myself and two other fathers, John Norris and Seamus Breslin, took the training sessions and worked on the basics of the game.

“The kids really seemed to be enjoying it so we agreed to try and keep it going for another season.

“We even had an end of season awards presentation which was sponsored by Lisahally FC who presented all our players with trophies and new footballs.”

The football sessions restarted last October with a few more eager participants.

“We were very fortunate that Oxford United offered to get involved at this point after giving Adam the opportunity to take part in the 2016 Foyle Cup.

“So Oxford coaches Noel Crampsey, Joe Kelly and U16 player Luke Crampsey started working with the lads every Sunday.

“Oxford United also provided us with our first full Nike football kit and found a generous local business to sponsor the team - Pete and Leanne from the Stairway Barbershop on the Northland Road.”

Kevin said the boys get so much from the team.

“The kids have really blossomed under the guidance of the Oxford United coaches and are showing signs of improvement with every training session - Conan Norris is developing into a dribbler in the style of Paddy McCourt, Tiernan Sweeney's becoming a strong centre-back and Jack Rogers is fast developing into a fantastic tough tackling midfielder who takes no prisoners.”

Now that the team has adopted the name of Oxford Bulls FC, they are now looking forward to their first official match.

“We need some opposition so we're on the look-out for similar teams/groups who are looking for a match,” said Kevin.