July 2010

A Leamington firm's links with a Premier League football club played an important role in helping a young British team compete in an international Downs Syndrome tournament.

Dormer Place based Travel Management Group (TMG) worked with Fulham Badgers, a side of young people aged between 10 and 23 with Downs Syndrome, to send 41 players, parents and staff to Hong Kong for the international tournament.

The Badgers took on the Hong Kong Dragons and the Hong Kong FC Crusaders, and became the first Downs Syndrome side to represent England overseas after the Fulham Football Club Foundation raised £60,000 to pay for the trip.

The week-long trip also gave the team and their families the chance to train at professional stadia, go sightseeing and attend a lunch hosted by renowned businessman Sir David Tang.

TMG Chief Executive Ian Dunwoody said: "It was an absolutely fantastic experience for the team, their families and also for myself.

"The trip epitomised the very best of what sport can do for young people's confidence, joy and self-esteem, and it was refreshing to see the respect the players had for one another."