A FOOTBALL team for people with learning disabilities have played their first ever competitive match as part of the Dorset Inclusion League.

Dorset Abilities Group FC now have enough players for two teams - the Devils and the Dynamos - despite having just four players show up to their first training session a year ago.

Both teams lined up to take on Parley Sports at the Ferndown Leisure Centre on Sunday, with the Devils losing 2-1 and the Dynamos losing 5-1.

Dorset Abilities Group was set up in 2015 to deliver alternatives to day care for adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems and autism.

Their flagship project ‘Tuck by Truck’ saw disabled and non-disabled people delivering snacks to around 50 customers in the Weymouth area.

In October, after talking to the people that use the service, director Luke Tomlin found that the group’s primary initiative was not for everyone.

He said: “We started to ask members what they wanted to do and one of them suggested a football team.

“At our first training session only four people and I turned up.

“It just seems now that at every training session there is at least one new player and most of them have stuck around.”

When they submitted their registration for the Dorset Inclusion League this summer, they had 19 players, almost enough to field another team.

So the club entered a second team, the Dorset Abilities Group Devils, for the league and shortly found three more footballers.

Mr Tomlin said there was no initial plan to play competitively but the players’ enthusiasm changed everything.

He said: “We were just going to be training. We had no ideas of joining the league.

“It just grew and grew, and eventually somebody said we should enter. All the players are really excited for the season.

“It has been quite hard getting it all together to be honest.

“The guys pay a small fee for training and a low match fee that includes travel.

“The rest is funded by the Dorset Abilities Group.”

The team have played several friendly matches and have also taken part in a tournament, the Dorset Inclusion Cup, at Blandford in June where they narrowly missed qualifying for the semi-finals.

They train every other Monday from 6pm until 7pm at Budmouth Community Sports Centre.

Their next session is on Monday September 12 and they welcome new players aged 14 or above.

The sessions are for players of all levels and are led by DBS checked coaches.