Club News

Dexter's day at The Brache!

One of Town's very own Under 11s, Dexter, shared his positive mindset cards with the first-team squad designed to help himself and other youngsters communicate their feelings at the training ground yesterday.

t_4428.jpg
t_4290.jpg
t_4303.jpg
t_4317.jpg
t_4319.jpg
t_4322.jpg
t_4324.jpg
t_4329.jpg
t_4330.jpg
t_4336.jpg
t_4342.jpg
t_4376.jpg
t_4380.jpg
t_4382.jpg
t_4385.jpg
t_4391.jpg
t_4397.jpg
t_4402.jpg
t_4406.jpg
t_4411.jpg
t_4414.jpg

Dexter joining in training with the senior goalkeepers and showed manager Nathan Jones, skipper Sonny Bradley and the rest of the squad his interchangeable cards which can help youngsters boost their confidence and positivity around friends, teammates, coaches and teachers.

A PDF version of the cards can be found HERE

Speaking to BBC Look East about his cards, Town's Under 11 right-back said: "I didn't really have a way of expressing myself when I didn't feel great so it's a way to help children like me because sport is a good way to express yourself.

"They are cards which can show how you feel, so if you are having a bad day you can pick out a card to make you better."

Mum Clare added: "It started as a pocket money project for Dexter. How can he help other children feel positive about themselves? The initial cards are football-related because this is where Dex wanted to start as he feels he has a lot of knowledge that can help. I wanted to show him that this is a really important message to get out."

Nathan Jones was impressed by Dexter's initiative when meeting his at the training ground, and said: “I think it is a wonderful idea and for someone so young to come up with something so innovative is fantastic.

"Not everyone can express themselves in certain ways and not everyone is bold enough to speak out and to have that confidence at times to make cards and things to enable young people to communicate in different ways. I think it’s a wonderful idea and really innovative.

“He's part of our community and we are a very community orientated club. We realise the importance of being close to our community and the majority of fans are local so for us to be in touch with our community can only be a good thing.

"We see it as being really important moving forward as well in terms of getting a new stadium, bigger training ground, academy going to a different level, we want as much as the community involved as possible. All these things are so important to the club because we know what we are.

"We’re not a massive conglomerate, we’re a club really in touch with everything around the town and so on, we see that as a massive part and we see that we need the town and all the people in the community to move forward. It’s a real good unity and a real good partnership, having Dexter along with us today has been wonderful for us, when we explained why he was here and so on, the lads are good human beings here so they realise the importance of that."

Captain Sonny Bradley added: "I certainly would have used it because an academy player coming through, personally I did struggle to communicate and communicate my feelings as well. For instance Dexter has a card called ‘Boost’ and if you can let someone know you need that little boost today then you can seek and get that."

Dexter and his mum Clare are in the process of finding a children's mental health charity to donate 10 per cent of all sales.

To watch the BBC Look East (West) feature on Dexter's day at the training ground, click HERE and watch from 14:15.

Related Content

  1. 01
  2. 02
  3. 03