DORCHESTER Town Football Club’s Magpies in the Community scheme is up and running with organisers hopeful of a big future for the new project.

Teams of children and young adults with disabilities and learning difficulties from Dorset help-ed launch the scheme when they competed in a festival of football at Dorchester Sports Centre.

Sides from Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth and Dorchester came together for the tournament while also receiving some coaching from the Magpies’ new community officer and first-team squad member Calvin Brooks.

The defender, who graduated through the Magpies’ youth system, will head up the community scheme on a full-time basis, working with schools, colleges and youth groups as well as mental health and learning difficulty groups across the county.

“Already we are working with St Osmund’s School, Kingston Maurward College and the Dorset Mental Health Forum, and the plan is that as we are awarded more grants in the future we can roll the scheme out into every corner of the county,” he said.

“We’ve just finalised plans for the new Dorchester Town Ability Counts team – a dedicated side for children and young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities who will be coached by me and participating in the Wiltshire and Dorset County League.

“We are also looking into the feasibility of building new community facilities at the stadium that could be used by a host of community groups, as well as acting as a base for Saturday morning soccer schools.

“At the moment, the scheme is being funded through grants from the Conference Trust and a fantastic sponsorship package from Inspired Home Improvements, and we are in the process of working to achieve further grants.”

He added: “There is an awful lot in the pipeline and it’s simply a case of the more grants we can obtain the more we can achieve in the community.”

The festival came in the same week that the club co-opted Allen Knott on to the board of directors as the club’s new community director.

Knott, who is also chairman of the Dorset Youth Association, will be tasked with liaising with local authorities, schools and community organisations to build closer relationships for young people across Dorset.

The Ability Counts team will be holding a friendly trial game against Dexter FC at the Avenue Stadium tomorrow (3pm).

Everyone above the age of 16 is welcome and for more information contact Brooks at community@dorchestertownfc.com or telephone 07795081104.