THREE Year Eight students from Dorchester Middle School are competing in the South East League for powerchair football in the Bournemouth Warriors team, formerly known as Wessex Warriors.

The three boys, Adam Sevenoaks, Ronaldo Rodriguez-Kretz and Chris King are all aged between 12 and 13 and are all in their final year at the school, and are balancing their studies with their passion for football.

The Warriors have recently been brought under the banner of AFC Bournemouth, and have become AFC Bournemouth Warriors, providing greater opportunities for coaching and training, and a smart new kit.

The team is based at Purbeck Leisure Centre in Wareham, where practice is held most Friday evenings.

This is one of the only venues in the nearby area large enough to play the game, which involves four players on a team and makes for a fast-paced and exciting sport.

The three boys have been regularly practicing with the Warriors since 2016, and now represent the team in the South-East Powerchair Football League (SEPFL).

Tournaments are played over the year at venues in Hatfield and Crawley, where there are facilities to host the number of matches and players.

The team did well last season, winning a number of their matches, but hopes are high for this year as each player has a new powerchair especially designed for the game.

The new chairs sit low to the ground and are fast and responsive, with seating designed for the needs of each individual player.

Rodriguez-Kretz has cerebral palsy and finds it hard to control a chair that is not adapted for him, but with a newly designed joystick and a seat that supports him, he is already noticing the benefits of his chair.

He said: “My new chair is fantastic. If I didn’t have it, it would be more difficult for me to play my best. Now I’ve got the chance to shine and hope for the

best.”

Two of the chairs were generously funded by the Alice Ellen Cooper Dean Charitable Foundation, based in Dorchester, and without this support the team would still be playing in slower, older chairs.

Hannah Powis, disability inclusion officer for AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust, said: “Adam, Ronaldo and Chris have become an integral part of the powerchair football club since they all started.

“It has been fantastic to see them not only improve their footballing skills but also to grow in confidence along the way.”

“Since merging into AFC Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust the opportunities provided for players have continued to grow with the boys competing in more fixtures and having more training time. It has also allowed for outreach sessions with other local schools to be booked in so we can look to replicate the success of the link with Dorchester Middle School.”

Now these boys have a real chance of succeeding at regional level, and are setting their sights on joining some of their teammates in national competition in the future, as long as they finish their homework!

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