The Albion Foundation were fortunate enough to be visited by the Albion men’s first team squad last week.
Fresh from their goalless draw with Leeds, the senior squad made appearances at a variety of community programmes at the club’s Halfords Lane site.
Beforehand, as the players came into training, Foundation director Rob Lake alongside “Blind” Dave Heeley and England and Albion Blind player Eesa Amjid - educated the squad with a speech about the Foundation and its work within the community.
The afternoon session began at the Kellogg’s Summer Football Camp at Sandwell Academy, the first team squad were greeted by gleaming smiles as camp participants were gifted the opportunity to meet their Albion heroes.
Firstly, players were split into small groups before engaging in a Q&A session, where they were posed questions ranging from their favourite Albion moment to their pre-match routines.
The young players were thrilled to have the opportunity to interact with their idols, asking questions and gaining insights into what it takes to reach the top level of football.
Once the Q&A concluded, each small-sided team were assigned a Baggies player to help gain the bragging rights over their fellow participants.
This gave each participant the opportunity to play alongside their favourite Albion players, whose competitive spirits soon came to the fore, with the first team squad keen to get one over on each other
The interaction between the players and the camp attendees exemplified the strong bond between the club and its community, highlighting the importance of safe spaces to enjoy playing football.
As participants waved goodbye to the Albion squad, winger Grady Diangana was quick to share his admiration for this accessible football platform.
He said: “It was really good. I loved it and it’s always something nice to be around.
“It’s something I wish I had when I was younger. I think it’s lovely.”
Up next, the group of first team players split into two groups, in the Academy classroom they met representatives from Proud Baggies, the club’s LGBTQ+ supporters’ group, All Access Albion, who aim to create an accessible environment for all fans and Go Local faith groups, where the Foundation have been branching out to.
The groups met with first team players, who were educated about the projects which will be supported by the Premier League Fans Fund, fostering a sense of belonging through meaningful engagement between fans, their club and community.
Just a few metres away in the Foundation Community Sports Hall, the remainder of the players experienced a blind football session after receiving a demonstration from the ever-remarkable Albion Blind.
Players were given the chance to wear a blind eye mask and take penalties against a sighted goalkeeper to replicate a game situation – gaining a new perspective on the beautiful game.
Each player embraced the challenge and were left in awe of the abilities of our blind footballers.
After both groups experienced the Premier League Fans Fund session and the blind football sessions, there was opportunity for a large group photo with “Blind” Dave Heeley at the forefront of it.
As the players set themselves to head off, Jed Wallace and Kyle Bartley were keen to express their respect for the Foundation’s work in the community.
“We’re very aware of the amazing work that everyone does at the Foundation,” club captain Wallace said. “It’s always great to come down though.
“Especially for the new signings and players from other countries. It’s crucial for them to see what a great club this is on the pitch but off the field too.
“When you see how inspirational people like that are it certainly humbles us. It makes us realise how lucky we are to be in this position”
“From meeting the young children, to the disabled team to other people within the community,” Bartley said. “It’s been a great way to spend our afternoon.
“Working with the Blind football team was great. I think a few of the lads really struggled including myself but no injuries thankfully.”
