Disability Football

epcpRomford (Football for players with Cerebral Palsy)

The club is run for ambulant players aged 6 to adult with cerebral palsy. If you can get to the sessions you can take part. Players are mainly boys, but we are seeking to recruit more girls.

Sessions run from September through to July with a break in August. Training sessions are on Sundays from 11 am to 1 pm and draw players mainly from Essex and East London, but also from Hertfordshire and further afield.

We run at least one monthly training session at Emerson Park Academy (Wych Elm Road, Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 3AD) , which is a Sports College in the London Borough of Havering. Skills and fitness sessions are followed by a competitive match. Training and most fixtures are on all-weather surfaces. Indoor facilities are available for training if weather conditions are severe.

We take part in the Junior Essex Soccability League, with competitions every month (usually on Saturdays) and for older players that graduate to the London CP squad there are regional matches. Some members also play for pan-disability teams and several of the club’s players have taken part in CP England Development squad training days, with two of them going on to represent their country at Senior level..

There is a training fee of £2 per session, with the first session free.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) Football

CP football is a seven-a-side game with competitions in the Paralympics including 2012 at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its own World and European Cup tournaments. Competitors at this level are graded to ensure that ambulant players can compete for places against players with similar levels of mobility. Players need to develop their skills, fitness, agility and tactical awareness.

A core aim of the club is to provide top quality coaching for its members. Coaching is by qualified club coaches, with experience of working with players with cerebral palsy. All club officials are CRB checked. EpcpRomford is part of Romford Borough Youth FC which is an FA Charter Standard club.
We want every player to represent epcpRomford in competitive matches. We believe that sport should be a source of enjoyment for everyone.

For more information, contact Ian Walter at Emerson Park Academy on 01708 475285 or via Email

The role of Emerson Park Academy

There has been a CP football team based in Hornchurch since 2004 when the school was granted Specialist School status as a Sports College.
There has been constant support from the school over the years in the form of funding, staff time, and equipment and training facilities. Without this support, the club would not have got off the ground or been in a position to develop and become part of the local community.
Training is on a high quality artificial pitch which allows players to develop accurate passing and dribbling.

Player benefits

Older club members have gone on to be involved in the CP England Development Squad with two players representing their country at Senior Level. Other players have taken up opportunities to get involved in a range of other sports following their contact with the club.

Parent benefits

The club provides a healthy outlet for their football mad children and the motivation to improve fitness and skills levels so that they can compete in the Soccability League. Older players provide excellent role models for new members and are there to show how CP players can achieve in a wide range of fields.

Contact Ian Walter now on if you or your child would like to find out more about our football club for players with cerebral palsy.