We are delighted to congratulate Reggie from Beluga Class on his feature in the recently released book "Arsenal For Everyone".
Reggie and his Mum attended the book launch over the weekend where Reggie got to meet Luke Howard, (inclusion officer at Arsenal), Per Mertesacker (ex player), David Seager (author) and Jack Wilshere (ex player).
The book is a collection of stories from fans about how their diverse needs or disabilities translate into their love of football (or Arsenal in Reggie's' case!).
Reggie and his Mum have been working with the author for the last 6 months to create a chapter about their journey from their first challenging encounter attending football matches, navigating Reggie’s autism diagnosis, the school system and local authority. Finally, they succeed in making the dream of facilitating Reggie’s ability to watch Arsenal play in a way that worked for him a reality.
Reggies' Mum was asked to consult for the club to help them commission their sensory room which launched in 2017. Reggie still uses this amazing facility to this day, alongside a number of other families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access games simply because they don’t fit into the mainstream football set up.
Reggies Mum, Carly, says "this book is so so so special, and was such a labour of love for all involved, and I hope it reaches out to others who may feel as alone as Reggie and I did at times, simply because we didn’t fit into a certain bracket. Hopefully some parents may want to take a look over the holidays!"
The link to purchase the book is below.