Bradley Stoke Youth FC’s Under-7 players were thrilled to receive new matchday jackets that were kindly purchased for them by the Luke Wheaton Legacy Trust, writes U7 Orange team manager Martin Lee.
As two newly established teams entering the Hanham Minor League for our very first seasons, there was naturally some anxiety for many of our young players. However it was amazing to see the transformation when they received them as those early nerves were quickly replaced with excitement at having their very own football club jacket. It was fantastic to see them all smiling and wearing them with immense pride.
From a football coach perspective, a team uniform brings identity, a sense of unity and belonging to a team as they feel connected and part of something. They also look incredibly smart and seeing them all arrive in their kit makes us very proud.
Without funding, the purchasing of these tops would have not been possible as the club’s limited resources sadly do not stretch that far, especially as we have two U7 teams this year consisting of 46 players! I also know from speaking with many of our parents that with the cost-of-living challenges we are all currently facing that some of them wouldn’t have been able to afford one themselves.
The Luke Wheaton Legacy Trust also wanted to support the whole club, so they kindly also donated footballs to every age group at the club. Each group received size 3, 4 or 5 footballs to enable their training sessions to be even better.
Luke Wheaton, a former Bradley Stoke Youth player, sadly lost his life in the tragic Avonmouth accident in 2020 at the age of 16. The Luke Wheaton Legacy Trust exists to support and encourage underprivileged young people on their journey through life – helping them to further their education outside of the classroom, gain new skills, stay active through exercise and local sports clubs and allowing them to achieve their full potential.
As players, coaches and parents, we would like to say a huge thank you to the Trust.
My closing message would be to ask you to please donate anything you can to help those closest to Luke continue their great work in memory of him. To find out how, visit lukeslegacytrust.org
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