Volunteer wins top award

Daniel Slaughter a volunteer with the Kent Sports Volunteers project recently picked up the FA Learning/Mcdonalds Grassroots Coach of the Year title.

After many years of playing and coaching rugby, he started coaching football at St. Margarets FC, with the u16's team when he was only 17. He then decided to start his own Disability Football Club for juniors, and stopped coaching the under16's. But still did some officiating as they were in desperate need of referee's.

He is now setting up an Adult Disability Section within the club at St. Margarets. Dan has also coached for a year in Dover Harbour Special School on Wednesday afternoons. In addition Dan has occasionally coached for a friends, girl guides group in Sandwich.

Dan says “I approached the Kent Sports Development Unit to become a member of their 'Volunteers Programme'. I then gained my FA Level 1 coaching badge which gave me the confidence to move away from the U16's at St. Margarets FC and start my own Disability Football Team, which a year down the line is becoming a Disability Football Club with links and an academy set up to a mainstream club. The club that I started now provide links to voluntary placements for the KSD team to place new volunteers, helping out where I first started myself.

Receiving the award of Kent Coach of The Year is a real achievement for Dan.