Here at Inclusive Sports Academy we have a strong team behind the scenes that make all of our sessions possible. Want to know which one of them would make the best prime minister or what biscuit they'd be? Then you're in the right place...
Here at Inclusive Sports Academy, we have a small team behind the scenes that make all the fantastic sessions you attend possible. However, to a lot of you we are simply faces and names on a screen. Of course we have our ‘Meet the Team’ page however we wanted to introduce ourselves in a little more depth... So, this is the Inclusive Sports family! First off, we have Andy Warmington. The founder and director of Inclusive Sports. He is the driving force behind everything here, and even if you don’t see much of him on our camps and social media- without him, we wouldn’t exist! He is an ex-squash coach who enjoys creating new projects, loves a good curry and his favourite podcast is James English. His belief in Inclusive Sports is strong and he would love for it to “Be recognised as the leading provider of Inclusive Activity in the Midlands.” Within the next five years… we’re sure that with his determination and how far Inclusive Sports has come the last few years, we’re more than capable! Andy finds himself inspired by “A desire to do well, I enjoy starting something from a blank sheet of paper & turning it into a project that benefits the lives of those involved.” A great mindset to have in the world of inclusion, and it clearly works! Inclusive Sports at one point would have just been an idea! For some inspiration for your Wednesday evening, he also shared his favourite piece of advice he’s ever received; “It’s generally been very simple. Try your best, Don’t give up and protect your own dreams.” He’s who you go to for general enquiries, if you’ve got a question about anything Inclusive Sports- he’s the man for you! To get into contact, email andy@inclusivesportsacademy.org. Next up, we have our Project Manager Kat O’Donovan. Leading on our Inclusive Families sessions, trips and camps- her innovative and passionate approach to Inclusive Sports has broadened our audience and knowledge. She could talk for hours about different flavours of gin (partial to the ginger variety!), is our in-house therapy dog Woody’s Mom and has vast experience in the world of disability. Kat thinks that establishments like Inclusive Sports are so important because “As we enhance the lives of people with disabilities- we provide a safe space for CYP (children and young people) to feel valued and included.. and to enjoy activities based on individual needs. For parents and carers to be able to leave their CYP in an environment where staff are trained and able to support them." There are many misconceptions when it comes to working within the disability sector, and Kat weighs in on this also; “That it’s a job with little reward. I disagree when you see children and young people all happy, engaging, socialising and coming out of their comfort zone, I think it’s the most rewarding job.” Kat is the one to go to for any details on after school provision, groups and clubs, as well as trips and camps. (She’s a very busy lady!) So for more information drop an email to kat@inclusivesportsacademy.org. We also have Caitlin Gray, our Digital Marketing Manager. Recently graduated from the University of Salford studying Multimedia Journalism, she is new to the world of disability and is the master behind our social media posts. Caitlin would say she closest animal to her personality is a cat, and has a passion for writing, horror, and rock music. She also may or may not be writing this blog post. (She is, it’s me.) Her dinner table of three famous people dead or alive would be; “Definitely Dave Grohl. He’s just the best person in the world, isn’t he? Then probably Scooby Doo and I feel like Alice Cooper would do a charity concert for us, he seems like that kind of bloke. Him and Dave could join forces.” Caitlin has learned an awful lot about inclusion and SEND the past few months, and describes inclusion in her own words; “Inclusion to me means that everyone no matter what their ability, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion is catered to and included. Having an environment which is inclusive means that no one feels excluded or discriminated. It sounds like a really big ask to establishments initially but we’re a small team and we manage to do it. Everywhere should have an inclusive outlook to everything they do.” For marketing, press and social media enquiries, send over an email to her on caitlin@inclusivesportsacademy.org. Mackenzie Newton-Gardener, the newest and youngest of the Inclusive Sports team is fresh out of college and is also very new to the world of inclusion. As of right now, he is our only resident sports coach and is a helpful extra pair of hands around the office with anything that the team needs. Currently working hard to get his drivers license, he is a big fan of grime music, his childhood dream was to be a footballer and he’s partial to a colourful Adidas tracksuit. When asked if there was anything he could improve about himself, he said that “He would like to be more mature.” Whereas maturity is important at times, we think there’s nothing wrong with having a bit of fun around the office, and Mackenzie provides plenty of laughs and jokes when he comes in! However, he might not even be with the Inclusive Sports team much longer and his dreams come true to live abroad! When asked if he could live anywhere in the world he said; “I would live in Spain. It’s very nice and relaxing!” Mackenzie will be starting up his sports coaching very soon and may even be running a session you or your loved one attends! If you would like to step into his shoes and become a sports coach then we have good news- we actually have vacancies open! Send over your CV and contact details to us and enter Mackenzie’s world! Last but not least, we have our junior content producer Ci Brennan. He has a passion for trains and railway, and enjoys to record platform alterations at Birmingham New Street. Ci joined us from the Heart of Birmingham Vocational college, and his biggest achievement to date is being the first ever worker at Inclusive Sports Academy to have a disability. Making the office an even more Inclusive space, Ci has begun to deliver sessions on his own and often teaches us all Makaton sign language which he is extensively knowledgable in. Ci is also a keen radio listener and loves Eurovision, with the best holiday he has ever been on focusing on his love for music; “It would be Ibiza, as Radio 1 do a weekend over there where they play dance music." We also asked Ci who we think he reckons would be the best at Karaoke in the team he said; “Mackenzie. He’d be singing Flowers (Say My Name) by ArrDee, as I do hear him singing that quite a bit!” However, Ci was extremely popular when we asked the rest of the team ‘Who is most likely to’! So, if this content producer thing doesn’t work out, Ci has a few potential future avenues he could go down… Most likely to get famous. (Andy’s vote) Potential Quiz show partner. (Kat’s vote) Best Motivational Speaker. (Mackenzie’s vote) Would make the best Prime Minister. (Caitlin’s vote) So if you’re after a new leader, or maybe just have a general enquiry about us, shoot them over to ci@inclusivesportsacademy.org. We also learnt a few random things from our team during the questioning process… Caitlin’s dream is to be able to talk to animals; “I want to be Doctor Dolittle! To be able to understand what animals are saying would be so fascinating. Ever wondered what your dog was staring at? Well, I’d know!” Ci shared his favourite joke with us all… “Do you know about the Italian man? He pasta way!” “I’d be jammy dodger because I have a big heart in the middle of me.” Yep, Mackenzie knows what kind of biscuit he is, don’t we all? So we’ve got at least one biscuit in the team, we also have something handy for your chips; “I’d be ketchup because it goes with most things!” That’s right, we have ketchup Kat too! We hope that you’ve learned a little something about us as a team through this blog. We’re a small bunch of very different people with opposite backgrounds and lives outside of the office. However we do all have one thing in common, we’re all extremely passionate about inclusion and improving the lives of others.
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