The Story of the Nottingham Forest Extra Time Project so far.......
The Nottingham Forest Football Club (NFFC) Extra Time Project has gone from strength to strength since its launch in January 2009. The project now has 110 participants registered and has given everyone the opportunity to make new friends and try out new activities on a weekly basis. Highlighted below is some of the fantastic stories and activities that have been achieved so far.
Day Centre Visits
A strong link has been forged with 2 local day centres in particular and this has enabled NFFC to go into their environment and offer participants something different. Many fun new activities have been tried and tested and the feedback gained has always been extremely positive. Both Nuffield Day Centre and Long Meadow Day Centre have been instrumental in supporting the Nottingham Forest Extra Time Project and helping it to continue to grow.
Ex-Player “Legends” Events
The Legends events have become a hugely popular and important part of the project. Approximately once every couple of months NFFC invite an ex player (often chosen by the Extra Time participants) to a session. The format for the event is that the player will introduce himself and give a brief outline of his career, then show a short DVD featuring highlights of the players career including goals scored, saves etc. before concluding the event with a Question and Answer session. This is the most popular part of the session as it gives the participants a chance to communicate with ex professional players and gives them a unique insight into their lives. The Legends who have currently visited the sessions include footballers such as:
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John Robertson
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Ian Storey-Moore
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Steve Hodge
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Jason Lee
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John McGovern
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Viv Anderson
Sport Relief 2010
2010 saw two of the NFFC Extra Time participants, Derek and Doreen Page, chosen as a feature presentation for Sport Relief. This entailed an extensive background check and culminated in hours of filming and interviewing over a 6 week period. Celebrities such as Dick and Dom (Pictured below) visited Derek and Doreen who in turn became local celebrities. To ensure all other Extra Time participants were also included it was arranged for a further 15 participants to complete the Sport Relief Mile. All in all it was fantastic exposure nationally for the Extra Time programme and ensured that the rationale of the work could be seen by a wider audience.
Extra Time Walking Club
The Extra Time Walking Club launched in early October 2010 and has been a great addition to usual NFFC Extra Time programme. It has enabled many more participants to remain active on a regular basis and also offers both 3 and 5 mile routes dependant on individuals’ levels of ability. The Walk starts and ends around the Nottingham Forest pitch and concludes with a Tea and Biscuits session in the players’ lounge. These Walking Club events have proved so popular that they have now become a monthly event.
Nottingham City Sports Awards 2011
In January 2011 Dorothy Anthony, 83 (Pictured below with NFFC Striker Dexter Blackstock) was nominated by Nottingham Forest for the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at the Inaugural Nottingham City Sports Awards. Dorothy was nominated for her participation in the Extra Time Project and in recognition for how physically active she has been. Her efforts in the past 12 months have included various walks, which she insists on completing unaided, and also raising over £500 for charity. Dorothy is an inspiration and it is was with great delight to all at the event that she won the award on the evening. Dorothy was then invited to the next home match and paraded in front of the 25,000 fans as a reward, and still nothing seemed to faze this remarkable woman!
Extra Time Tea Dance
The Extra Time Tea Dance continues to go from strength to strength. The events are now held on a monthly basis and with anywhere from 50-100 people attending each Tea Dance. A live singer and raffle is always supplied together with the Tea, Coffee and Biscuits that make the day so special. It is always a nice relaxed atmosphere and a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. The Tea Dances are held on Wednesdays in the Players’ Lounge at Nottingham Forest and all are welcome. NFFC have recently completed their 25th Tea Dance since the project started.
Other Key Activities
Many other activities have been provided since the Extra Time project began including:
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IT Sessions
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Premier Screening of ‘The Damned United’
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A visit from Jim Higgins (Nottingham Forest Academy)
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Indoor Bowling
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Over 50’s Swimming
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Table Tennis Competitions
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And much more.......
In conclusion, since its launch in early 2009, Nottingham Forests Extra Time project has proved to be a fantastic opportunity to engage with the over 55’s in the local community. NFFC have seen many highs throughout this time and look forward to taking this success into the 2011/2012 season. The aim is to continue in the same vein and ensure that even more fantastic, new and dynamic opportunities are on offer to all involved.
Lawrie Dudfield, Forest In The City Community Manager, said:
"At Nottingham Forest we’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable first year delivering the ExtraTime project. We’ve engaged on a weekly basis with a core group of 30 participants delivering vibrant and energetic sessions including activities such as chair based fitness and healthy eating talks.
"We are continually looking to further our programme and recent introductions such as ex players returning for a “Legends” session and also intergenerational events involving local school children have helped us to do this.
"Our monthly Tea Dances are now in full swing where we cater for around 70 elderly people and probably the success story of Year 1 for us was the inclusion of Derek and Doreen Page on the Sport Relief show. The publicity that the BBC bought to their story will hopefully inspire many, many more people to get involved with the Extra Time project nationally."
