Late last month the new Football Pools presented Reading Football Club's Community Trust with a cheque for £60,000 as an exciting new scheme that will help to grow disability football provision across the local area was announced.

'Every Player Counts', a leading project of The Football League Trust, will see the Royals' Community Trust deliver a three-year scheme that will develop football opportunities for people with all types of disability in Berkshire and the Thames Valley.

The project aims to increase opportunities, provision and access to disability sports for disabled players and this funding will reach out to launch new and improve existing schemes.

This will hopefully increase the numbers of participants, number of affiliated adult teams and offer further opportunities such as football coaching, refereeing courses and even employment within the game.

Reading are one of 36 Football League Community schemes delivering the 'Every Player Counts' initiative across the country this season.

Phil Griffiths, the club's new Community Trust Disability Officer, commented "This is the beginning of a new era for Reading Football Club and the Community Trust are delighted to work with the Football League Trust and the new Football Pools on this superb project.

"This funding will help the club aid, support, develop and raise awareness and participation levels of disability football in Berkshire."