Members of the Foundation's Down Syndrome Football team are currently working their way through their Level 2 in Developing Personal Skills Through Sport and had an amazing opportunity recently to meet Jack Rutter through Off the Bench Training.
The team has been meeting each Saturday to complete objectives, chat and see each other through lockdown. Through our relationship with Off the Bench Training the team were offered the opportunity to have Paralympian Jack Rutter join them one week. Jack shared his story and gave the players an opportunity to ask questions about football and his career.
Jack Rutter played in the Premier League and was attacked on a night out which left him with a fractured skull in two places, moderate brain damage, a bleed on the brain and permanent deafness in his right ear. At the time of the assault Jack was being hailed as a rising Birmingham City star, but he found his way into cerebral palsy football and has now represented England and Great Britain at four major tournaments including the Rio 2016 Paralympics. He currently coaches with the England Cerebral Palsy under 21s and is working towards becoming the manager, and also works with Off the Bench speaking about his experiences and struggles, whilst delivering the message to not give up on your dreams and how a positive mindset can help you achieve.
Kat Hall, the Foundation's DS Active Coach said “Jack’s journey is very inspiring, everyone really enjoyed meeting him and hearing his story, especially where he spoke about how to be resilient and the importance of how sport can positively impact your mental health. The group still speak about him and how much they enjoyed it!”
CP Football will not be part of the Tokyo 2020 programme but is under consideration for a return for the Paris Paralympics in 2024. Thank you Off the Bench Training and Jack Rutter for providing the DS Active team with this amazing experience.