A West Belfast disability football club is preparing for a trip of a lifetime. St James' Swifts Football For All team are set to compete at the Donosti Cup in Spain.
He told Belfast Live: "We travel over next week for the tournament which takes place in San Sabastian, beside Bilbao. It features teams from all over the world, including Mexico and Spain. It is something to look forward to as it will be a brand new experience for the whole team, and coaches. "One of our players only got his passport a week ago, so he left it close. But we are all ready to go now."
"I suppose it will be things like the temperature and humidity which will be tough. Real Sociedad is probably the biggest team competing in the tournament, which will be held at their stadium.St James launched its disability section back in 2018. It started with a handful of players but has now grown into a burgeoning club of over almost 40 players.
"We also had a junior team last year, so we try and cater for different age groups. The vast majority of the original team from 2018 are travelling to Bilbao. "So any new tournaments and competitions we can find, we like to link up with the other clubs in the UK and start good relationships. It means we can invite teams to our annual cup competition, and vice versa.Darren - who will be joined by fellow coach Will Stevenson in Spain - says the growth of disability football in Belfast has been exiting to watch.