A NEW disabled football team has won £7,950 in funding from Sport England.

The Wallingford Town AFC club, which launched in January, will use the cash to buy kit and equipment.

Club chairman Richard Prunier said: “This money is vital to the development of disability football as an integral part of the club.

“We can now buy vital equipment that will open up opportunities for disabled people in Wallingford and the surrounding area to try disability football for the first time. A huge thanks to Sport England for this grant.”

The award comes from Sport England’s Get Equipped fund, aiming to build on the success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

About £1m of National Lottery funding is being distributed to organisations across England to allow them to provide specialist equipment, which will help make sport a practical choice for many more disabled people.

Sport England spokeswoman Lisa O’Keefe said: “We know many organisations and clubs delivering sport struggle to provide sporting opportunities for disabled people because of a lack of access to specialist equipment.

“We are delighted to award these vital funds to Wallingford Town AFC, which will play a role in opening up sport to many people who previously found it inaccessible.”

In December, Sport England’s Active People survey revealed a record number of disabled people in England now play sport weekly.