Elysium’s first ever inter-hospital Football League ‘kicks off’ next month! The league was developed after the runaway success of our first ever inter-hospital football tournament, which was held over the summer. We spoke with Jamie Devine, Hospital Activities Co-Ordinator at Victoria Gardens and organiser of this ambitious project to find out more.
“This summer we held our first ever inter-hospital football tournament and it was absolutely amazing to see more than 100 service users and colleagues come together to compete, but more importantly to socialise. People had worked hard training in advance of the event and approached it with such enthusiasm, it was truly inspiring.
“And it really did inspire me! After organising the tournament, the interest in services across Elysium in taking part in football matches grew to ‘fever pitch’. And so the league was born. The season kicks off on October 4th and we will have six teams competing in a league format until July next year.
“While colleagues will form part of the teams, the league is about the people we support and them having the opportunity to train and play. Playing in a league is really motivating and will encourage all of us to train and stay on top of our fitness. Being part of a team and working towards a shared goal is also really motivating, as is a bit of healthy competition!
“We have big plans for football – there will be a cup tournament, there’ll be an end of season presentation evening, monthly ‘match reports’ and everyone will get a medal at the end of the season too.
“At Victoria Gardens we have already seen the benefits football and being part of a team can have for individuals. One gentleman was moving on and we were able to support him to find a team to join once he got there – meaning he already had a network. We’ve seen it encourage people to get up and out and to be active. It’s incredibly inclusive too; a team from All Saints, a service which supports Deaf people, will be taking part and female colleagues are part of the teams also, for example.
“The league will be a challenge, it’s a big commitment. Each team will play each other home and away twice, travelling to do so. But we know the huge benefits it will bring and how rewarding everyone involved will find it. We can’t wait to crown our first League Champions next summer!”