Former Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt was back at White Hart for the Norwood Achievement Awards, marking the end of the Spurs Norwood Altogether Project (Snap).
Snap is a sports development scheme pioneered by Norwood and funded by the Football Foundation for those with learning disabilities. It has also provided specialist training for disability sports coaches, who will run programmes for Norwood.
Interviewed by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation education officer Gareth Dace, Mabbutt discussed highlights of his playing career and his relationship with Paul Gascoigne, recalling him as a great player but “a nightmare” to captain. “He caused absolute mayhem.”
As for Snap: “The game on every level is about enjoyment and taking part, which is reflected in this project.”
Among the award winners was Marc Butcher, who works at Norwood’s Stanmore HQ. One of 12 staff trained as a disability sports coach, he said he was “proud to have been part of something so special. I am a massive football fan, so I feel really lucky to have been involved. I look forward to putting the skills I have learned into practice and coaching through Norwood.”
Norwood’s associate director of learning and disability support, Angela Duce, said that although the awards had brought down the curtain on Snap, “they also mark the beginning of Norwood’s future as a catalyst for inclusive sports”.