Inclusion is the future: Meet the Y Not football team bringing fun to football

We’re at the Southland Football turf on a warm Monday evening.

Koby’s there, kicking the ball around with natural skill, leading the way and helping others who need a hand.

Hayley, Adam and Catlin join the practice kicks.  

Ryan turns up – it’s his turn to be goalie.

Luka and Sophie are there; both aiming to get a goal this week.

“I really like it (football),” Sophie says. “The hardest part is defending and trying to get in there, but the best part is meeting new people…. It’s my goal to get a goal this week.”

James arrives. Who are we playing? Verdon. What colour are they? Green. Okay they’re Brazil, we’re New Zealand.

There’s a quick chat about where people are going to stand on the field when the whistle goes. 

Then it’s on.

Meet the Y Not football team; a bunch of absolutely awesome young people. Aged between 13 and 18, the group came together through the Y Southland’s Y Not Squad, a group for young people with disabilities and/or impairments, and they’re now kicking goals together every week on the Southland Football fields.

These kids have got it sorted. They’re there to have fun, they are there to support each other, they’re there because they want to be.

For many in the team, this is one of the very few team sports they’ve ever been involved in. Not because they haven’t wanted to get involved, but because they’ve never found an opportunity where they can belong. But that’s all changed now.

It’s really all thanks to Robyn Bye – although she’ll hate the praise. Robyn is the Y Southland’s Disability and Inclusion Advisor, a partnership role between the Y, Inclusive Activity Murihiku (IAM) and Active Southland. About 18 months ago she started the Y Not Squad – a free weekly group for young people with disabilities or impairments to come together to try a range of new activities. From rock climbing to line dancing to boxing and everything in between, it was about connecting young people with opportunities in the local community.

Quite simply, the concept has thrived. Participants have gained so much in confidence and in skill level, that when Robyn suggested they enter a team in the local Southland Football league (mainstream, of course), numerous hands went up with players wanting to join.

Southland Football have been outstanding; a real showcase of how being inclusive as a sport can happen and the impact it can have.

Says Robyn: “When I asked Ryan and Iain (Ryan Gardiner, Southland Football Development Officer and Iain Walker, Southland Football Development and Operations Manager) if we could enter a team in the Monday night competition, it was an instant yes and ‘what can we do to make this happen’?”

“Then they just made it happen for us. We had a couple of coaching sessions, they worked out what grade we should play in, which ended up being the Year 9/10 grade, and they talked to their referees and let them know that our team was there to experience participating in a competition, to have fun and to learn new skills.”

“We usually had the same referee each week, and they’d talk to the other team and explain what we were all about and that worked really well. The other teams were very good to us and that just helped so much with the whole experience.”

Iain says the Y Not team has been one of the best things he’s seen in football for a long time.

“Just the engagement of the players, how the other teams adjust their playing to help them and make it more enjoyable, it’s just awesome to see them out there and having success,” he said.

“That’s what football should be – it’s an inclusive sport anybody can enjoy and have fun together.”

Karl Erikson, whose son, Luka, plays on the team, says it has been a fantastic opportunity.

“This gives them the opportunity to get active and to get that social interaction. As a team sport, they get all those skills of working in a team,” he said.

“Luka loves sport but he hasn’t really had that many opportunities to play in a team, so it’s been really good for him and he loves it.”

Robyn says without the combined support of the players, parents, and the sport, opportunities like this simply don’t happen. 

“It really does take a community effort to make something like this happen,” Robyn says.

“If one part falls over, the sport says it’s too hard, or the referees won’t accept it, the opposing teams get too competitive, or the parents are too busy to get their kids there, well, it just doesn’t work. All it takes is that attitude of ‘yes, we can do this … how can we make it happen’ and it can create such a positive experience.”

Being on the sideline of one of the Y Not games is a real lesson in how to play sport.

The team are happy, friendly, easy going, and have so much fun. They listen to the ref, they try their hardest (although there are a few unfocused moments during the game, these go unnoticed by the rest of the team), and they get better and better every single week. They support each other – you should see the goal celebrations – and they work as a team. Koby, for instance, is a very talented footballer, but rather than score all the goals himself – which he could readily do – he sets up his teammates so they can succeed too.

It’s something truly special.

And the lesson? It’s actually not that hard to make it happen.

The season is over now, but it’s been a memorable one. Goals scored, memories made and excitement already for next season – just how it should be.

And Sophie did get that goal, thanks to a good kick, the support of her teammates (and maybe just a little help from the goalie, too!).