Over 11,000 people have been introduced to sport thanks to the EFL Trust Every Player Counts Pan Disability programme. The Every Player Counts programme supports the EFL Trust’s aim of increasing sports participation for all. The landmark project was made possible thanks to a £1.1m donation from the Wembley National Stadium Trust (WNST). The funding represented WNST’s largest single donation to date and its first England-wide grants programme. The programme covers a wide range of disabilities with the simple aim of getting more people involved in sport. 28 EFL clubs run Every Player Counts programmes that are tailored to the specific needs of their local community. The 28 EFL Club Trusts deliver activity covering a wide range of disability programmes including wheelchair football, football for visual impairment, learning difficulties, amputees and autism, giving many disabled people access to football for the first time. Although individual programmes will differ from club to club, the emphasis is always on increasing participation, improving health and championing the social benefits of taking part in football. The over-riding aim of the scheme is to increase the amount of disabled people participating in football reaching out to over 5000 people per year, breaking down the barriers that have prevented them from doing so. Since the London 2012 Paralympics, we have seen a major increase in the number of disabled people playing sport or wanting to do so. This programme builds on previous work at both WNST and EFL Trust and continues the expansion of the opportunities available to disabled people to get involved. This month, Millwall launched the Every Player Counts programme working in partnership with Drumbeat School in Lewisham who serves boys and girls aged 4-19 within Lewisham who have been diagnosed with the highest level of autistic needs. The event included fun classroom-based activities which helped develop the children’s confidence in writing and discussing topics in small groups before taking part in a football coaching session which was oversee by Millwall first team players Jed Wallace and Alex Pearce. Millwall Community Trust’s Community Development Manager Richard White commented “Millwall are delighted to be one of 28 EFL clubs delivering the Every Player counts programme for the next 2 years which will help support people with disabilities living in the London boroughs of Lewisham and Southwark. The children that took part in the launch were more responsive than they would normally be, which was probably due to having Millwall staff and players leading on the activities to help make the experience more special”. Millwall FC player Jed Wallace who is also Millwall’s PFA Disability Ambassador commented “With a project like Every Player Counts, football brings everyone together no matter how good, bad or indifferent you are, and what’s important is everyone enjoys it and it brings a smile on their face. The players at Millwall are happy to come down and support such a great project”. To find out more information about the “EFL Trust Every Player Counts” programme delivered by Millwall, please contact Millwall Community Trust on 020 7740 0503.