Introduction

East Kilbride Football Club (EKFC) is a member of the Scottish Lowland Football League and is recognised as being a Club for which inclusion at all levels is a tangible goal. No more so than in relation to disability. Our Award winning Sunday Club is being used as template by the SFA Disability Group. In December 2012 the Club was one of the the first in Scotland to achieve the SFA Disability Inclusive Award, followed in February 2013 with the Disability Club Award.

EKFC fully supports the principle of equal opportunities in all matters including employment and opposes all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination on the grounds of disability. No applicant or employee shall receive less favourable treatment because of disability.

EKFC will ensure that all available talents and skills are considered when playing, coaching, supporting and employment opportunities arise. As such EKFC is committed to maintaining and managing a diverse base of involvement throughout the Club

This policy is applicable to all staff, contract workers, spectators and guests of the Club on all premises and places of work occupied by the Club. The purpose of this policy it to ensure that EKFC complies with the Equality Act 2010 and to ensure that disabled people falling within the definition of the Act are treated equally and fairly.

In line with the Equality Act 2010, in this policy:

• DISABILITY refers to a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to- day activities.
• DISABLED PERSON refers to a person with such a disability.
• DISCRIMINATION refers to treating someone with a disability less favourably than he treats others whom have no disability, and that treatment cannot be shown to be justified in relation to the activities or circumstances involved.

Policy

Club Policy covering Part III (The provision of goods, services and facilities) of the Equality Act

• The Club is committed to ensuring that its disabled supporters and customers have as full access as is reasonably possible to make to all goods, services and facilities provided or offered to the public by the Club.
• The Club recognises that not all of its facilities are fully accessible to disabled customers and confirms that it is committed to making the necessary reasonable adjustments described by the Equality Act and its relevant Codes of Practice to ensure full compliance with the legislation.
• The Club will provide free access to carers of supporters with disabilities The Club will ensure that the scheme does not discriminate between disabled people with differing impairments.
• The Club is committed to making the necessary reasonable adjustments described by the Equality Act and its relevant Codes of Practice to ensure full compliance with the legislation.
• The Club will undertake such additional works as are reasonably required within the timescales set out in the Act.
• The Club has a grievance procedure in place and guarantees to its disabled supporters and customers that any complaints of discrimination will be dealt with quickly under that procedure.
• The Club has advised its staff that any incident of discrimination under the provisions of the Act is a serious matter and will be dealt with under the Club's Disciplinary Procedures

Employment

When considering persons for employment EKFC will not discriminate against a disabled person:

• In the arrangements made for the purpose of determining whom employment should be offered to.
• In the terms under which employment is offered.
• In deliberately refusing to offer or not offering employment to someone based on their disability.
• In the opportunities afforded to a person (i.e. training, promotions or any other work benefit).
• In dismissing someone or subjecting them to any detriment based on their disability

• In the arrangements made for the purpose of determining whom employment should be offered to.
• In the terms under which employment is offered.
• In deliberately refusing to offer or not offering employment to someone based on their disability.
• In the opportunities afforded to a person (i.e. training, promotions or any other work benefit).
• In dismissing someone or subjecting them to any detriment based on their disability

Sunday Club

The Sunday Club has been running since April 2012 and runs every Sunday morning from 10.30 am until 11.30 am. It caters for children from ages 5 to 16 who have a wide variety of additional support needs. These include autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis, duvet syndrome, fragile x and visual impairments. We currently have 23 children on our register. We have 2 coaches who are trained teachers for pupils with additional support needs and we have 4 coaches who have children at the club. The club offers families the chance to, not only give their children the same sporting opportunities as other children but provides a safe environment and peers for social interaction. We also encourage parents to bring siblings along to participate in sessions so that families can attend together. Some of our siblings who had never played football before have gone on to join our mainstream teams. Whilst we provide an additional support specific club, we strive for children to achieve as much as they can and when we see that they could be ready to integrate into a mainstream team then we set up an induction programme so that this is properly facilitated at a rate that suits the child. Despite training with a mainstream team, some children still come along to our Sunday sessions.

Throughout all of this, we have had superb support from the SFA.

In May 2016 East Kilbride Community Trust achieved Outline Planning Permission from South Lanarkshire Council to build EK Community Stadium, which will contain facilities where the Sunday Club will be based. This is further evidence of the continuous promotion of Club Policy. As of date of report, formal building permission granted and start on site delayed due to Covid 19 pandemic. The new stadium contains a multi-use area, which will be used to provide provision for the Sunday Club, but also other community-based organisations involved in support for disabled groups and persons.

31 August 2020

Also in this section...

• Disability Policy

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