Head of Goalkeeping Paul Clements visits Fairfield School supporting Autism Acceptance Week
- Paul Clements joined Town’s Foundation at Fairfield School
- He delivered an interactive P.E. session to students with autism
- Comments from our Head of Goalkeeping and Foundation Community Coach
As part of the Huddersfield Town and the Foundation’s work during Autism Acceptance Week 2023, Head of Goalkeeping Paul Clements delivered a fun session to a group of children with autism from Fairfield School on Tuesday afternoon.
Clem put on a goalkeeping-specific session with the pupils to improve their motor skills. The lesson consisted of some throwing and catching drills between the students to promote interaction and enjoyment between peers before going into a fun game. They ended the afternoon on a quick drill which saw the children try and score past Paul in a net.
Autism Acceptance Week is an annual celebration of people with autism to ensure that they are included and accepted in everyday life.
Having a son with autism, Clements was enthusiastic to partake in the afternoon and stressed the importance of awareness weeks like this one.
Our Head of Goalkeeping said:
“It was brilliant to come down with the Foundation and work with some of the guys and girls who have autism doing some throwing and catching like goalkeepers and try and score some goals past me.
“It was just about having fun and being active whilst catering for different needs and ensuring that people are included in what we’re doing as a Club and a Foundation.
“My son is autistic, and it has been a part of my life since I was 20 years old, so it is a massive week for me and it’s a massively important time due to the awareness it brings.
“With the inclusion room at the John Smith’s Stadium and raising awareness, it helps to make sure these people have the best quality of life that they can have and give them the best opportunities in life that they can have.
“Personally, I love it and I have seen first-hand the benefits and it is good to show a snippet to people watching the club channels to show what we do but believe me, it is a massive, massive, massive piece of work that is all year round.”
The session was part of the Town’s Foundation’s delivery of their Premier League Primary Stars programme, which uses the power of the Premier League brand and football to engage and support pupils in schools.
Foundation community coach Anthony Munday praised the afternoon:
“It was great to have Clem down to a session and all the kids loved it and it was really positive, especially on Autism Acceptance Week.
“I think the Foundation is really trying to make inroads when it comes to areas such as inclusion, diversity, SEN, and disability, so it was great to have Clem here with us and continue our work with Fairfield.”
If you would like to find out more about the packages like PL Primary Stars that the Foundation offer, please email help@htafcfoundation.com with your enquiry.
