A 12-YEAR-OLD with Down Syndrome said it 'made my day' when her football team wore odd socks to support her.
Darcey Slee and her twin sister Erin have been part of the club’s girls’ section for several years, with teammates constantly keeping Darcey involved.
World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated on March 21 and people wanting to show solidarity and support for people with Down Syndrome don odd socks to raise awareness.
With that in mind, Newton-le-Willows FC saw its U12s girls wear odd socks during training to raise awareness of Down syndrome.
The gesture is part of the club’s ongoing support towards Darcey who has Down syndrome.
Darcey’s dad Paul Slee said: "Along with her twin sister, Erin, our daughter Darcey has been part of the girls’ section of Newton-le-Willows FC for several years.
"From the very beginning, the club couldn’t have been more welcoming to us as a family, and have embraced what Darcey brings to the club, both because of her as a person and the way she has shown that anyone with a disability can join in and enjoy playing whatever their circumstances and needs.
"We have been delighted that Darcey has been allowed to train with an age group more suited to her ability so that she fully feels part of the sessions and has every opportunity of reaching her potential.
"The coaches and girls she trains with fully accept Darcey for who she is and whilst clearly make some adjustments for her they are done in such a nice and non-obvious way to allow her to just get on with it and play.
"We can’t thank the club enough for their support."
When asked about how it made her feel to see her friends wearing their odd socks, Darcey said: "I was happy because it was my day."
Her twin sister Erin, who plays for the U12 Crocs team, added: "It was great that all her teammates and the other teams joined in and wore their odd socks for training.
"Darcey loves playing football and everyone is so nice to her - it was amazing."
The Newton-le-Willows club is also looking to launch a disability football scheme, with the hope of offering a space for like-minded children to thrive.
Andy Tither, chairman of Newton-le-Willows FC, added: "Moments like this make me so proud.
"As a club, we believe in inclusivity and it's really important that our players appreciate matters outside of the footballing world for their future adult lives.
"We believe that good people make good footballers, and I am immensely proud of how our various teams bought into the concept of wearing odd socks to help raise awareness of Down syndrome.
"Seeing 'Super Darcey' grow and develop over the years has been a real pleasure and I hope our case inspires others to give football a try."
For more information on Down syndrome, visit https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/.
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