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League Committee 23/24:
League Secretary: VACANT – Please send all correspondence to John Ayling
Chair: John Ayling
Vice-Chair: Kelly Day
Welfare Officers: Amy Green & Neil Allan
Referee Co-ordinator: Dennis O’Shea
Player Registration Officer: Jonathan Coles
The BOBi (Berkshire, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Inclusive) League was established in 2008 to offer individuals with a range of disabilities the opportunity to play competitive football on a regular basis.
The league started with 11 teams and has grown year on year to one of the largest Pan-Disability Leagues in the country.
The League now has a total of 53 teams participating with over 500 active kids and adults across 8 divisions; 5x adult male disability, 1x U16, 1x U14 & 1x U12. Fixtures are delivered across 7 monthly fixtures based at a central venue. By using the central venue model we can reduce the weekend commitment and play multiple games against different teams at each monthly fixture.
The BOBi League is unique in that it is the only competition in this area specifically for Disabled people. It provides participants with the opportunity to develop social, communication & teamwork skills, whilst also gaining the benefits of being involved in regular exercise.
It is not only the participants that benefit from this innovative League. Parents and carers can access an additional network of friends in similar circumstances. For some it simply gives them the opportunity to watch their child be involved in regular sporting activity, something which they might not have thought would happen.
As well as continuing to grow the BOBi League and improve the playing environment for players and coaches, we have numerous plans to widen the remit of the League;
– For the 2023/24 season the league will pilot a new U20 division for Youth Players to ready themselves for Open Aged football.
– Life Skill Workshops: offering individuals with mental health issues and/or learning difficulties the chance to access helpful workshops on finance, health & fitness, employment and drug & alcohol abuse on the day of BOBi fixtures.
– Referee & Coaching Courses: continue to offer courses to coaches and referees to help them when engaging with players with different disabilities.
– Up Skilling Players: offering players with disabilities bursaries to access coaching and refereeing courses
– Voluntary Opportunities for Students: Developing links with local colleges in order to offer students the opportunity to become involved in the League and develop numerous practical skills including; event management, marketing, coaching, and many more
– Starter Guide: introduce a guide for mainstream clubs to offer a disability provision within their club.
If you would like any further information please feel free to contact John Ayling (BOBi League Chair).
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