Under-10s team make special trip to play autism awareness match in Newark

A football team made a four-hour round trip for a match to support a side that wears an autism awareness logo on their shirts.

In April, Newark Town under-9 Warriors raised £500 to pay for their kit which will carry the logo for the next two years.

The Warriors’ story was shared on the Grassroots Football UK Facebook page, attracting hundreds of likes and shares, plus many positive comments.

Among those who saw the post was a team in Oldham, Chadderton FC under-10s.

They contacted Nick Rhodes-Yeomans, whose nine-year-old son Bret plays for the Warriors, and agreed to play a match in support of autism awareness.

The teams played the game on Sunday at Sconce and Devon Park. The Warriors were led out by Mr Rhodes-Yeomans’ youngest son Chael, 4, who is on the autism spectrum, Bret, and eldest son Ryan, 13.

“Chadderton FC travelled two hours to play a 60-minute game of football, which was amazing,” said Mr Rhodes-Yeomans, whose son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.

“But the memories that the players of both sides will have are ones that you can’t take back. They will have them forever.

“Chadderton had raised £400 in the build-up to this game, which they have donated to the National Autistic Society.

“That was a massive gesture from them, and the whole day was fantastic.”

'They understand the responsibility of carrying that logo'

Mr Dean Douglas, the Warriors’ manager, made Bret Rhodes-Yeomans the captain for the game.

Mr Rhodes-Yeomans said he hoped the match might become an annual event, and wanted to focus on raising awareness of autism.

“From the messages we were getting on Facebook, a lot of people wanted to do the same thing as us with the logo,” he said.

“Autism is not something discussed very much. If you are not affected by it, you don’t know too much about it.

“Now when we play teams, their managers are asking us what the logo means and we tell them to ask the players. They understand the responsibility of carrying that logo on their shirts.”

Among those who helped on the day were Sarah Robinson, Clare and Karl Priestley, Antoinette Rhodes-Yeomans, Dean Douglas, David Pendle, Gary Lee Cooper, Boz and Thelma Ndoro, and Ryan Costantin.