Barton Inclusive Football Club (BIFC) is a community-facing club providing inclusive football opportunities to disabled people in and around the Humber region.
Since the club began in 2019, after being founded by Sophie Bartup, its growth and success has been profound, with the hard work of their ever-expanding volunteer base being at the core of their triumphs.
The club's history
BIFC was born from a lack of disability provision in the area.
Having volunteered at a disability club during university, founder Sophie became aware of the limited opportunities for disabled people when she returned home.
The club began four years ago with two disability teams and has since expanded to accommodate 13.
In addition to the original disability teams, BIFC also offers walking football, women only sessions, ‘Wildcats’ (for girls aged 5-11 years), ‘Squad’ (for girls aged 12-14) and a Teeny Tot’s session.
Players have a range of disabilities that can limit their opportunities in mainstream sport, including learning difficulties, autism disorder, and long-term mental health conditions.
Whilst Teeny Tot’s, Wildcats and SQUAD aren’t disability-specific, there’s a strong focus on inclusion.
In 2021, BIFC expanded into Hull, and is now offering a disability pathway from U12s, U16s through to adult football, known as BIFC – Hull.
Part of this expansion is due to volunteers Marc Cooper and Jo Newby.
After hearing of the excellent original provision at BIFC, the club identified the need to reach more communities in Hull and hosted additional sessions for children and young people, as the initial offer focused only on adults.
Jo’s story makes her decision to engage with BIFC clear.
She's a foster carer who was looking for opportunities for her child, Kasper.
From a young age he had been interested in football and Jo found that engaging in sport was paramount to Kasper’s speech development.
She had often seen other children like Kasper join mainstream sports teams but quickly get sidelined as other players developed quicker, therefore leaving those with additional needs behind.
So she decided to look for a place where Kasper would have the same opportunities to enjoy football as any other kid.
BIFC were able to provide volunteers like Jo with the kit, the paperwork and the confidence to organise and deliver football sessions.
Jo begun overseeing two sessions in Hull, one for 12-16-year-olds and the other for players aged 16+.
The club has several other volunteers, ranging in age, experience and motivation for getting involved.
Some success stories include two 14-year-olds who had initially got in touch to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Award and have since continued to volunteer beyond their agreed three months, having enjoyed being part of the club so much.
Another individual, aged 17, got involved to assist with the completion of their sport Business and Technology Education Council qualification at college.
Some parent volunteers have brought family members to support and Kasper, now 14, helps his dad deliver sessions to a younger age group.
A number of parents have supporting roles within the club, offering ad hoc help where possible.
The club respects those that cannot fulfil permanent roles and celebrates those that offer to complete smaller tasks if-and-when they have time.
Volunteer recruitment
Volunteers have joined BIFC through word-of-mouth, but they've also been successfully recruiting through adverts released through the local VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) Time2Volunteer network, and through their social media channels.
New volunteers are introduced gradually to the club, with initial conversations around club and volunteer expectations, the opportunity to observe sessions and chances to meet fellow coaches before leading or taking on a volunteering role.
The club has been able to provide funding for courses to support their volunteers, regardless of their time spent with the club.
