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20 Years of Saints Foundation: Ellie's Story

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13-year-old Ellie has defied her disabilities to grow into a happy, confident football player with the support of SaintsAbility sessions.

SaintsAbility sessions have helped Ellie overcome challenges with her hearing and balance to become a skilled footballer, with aspirations to play for her country. Always approachable and encouraging at sessions, she's become a key role model for younger players as they begin their journey with Saints Foundation.

"When I started, I didn't know anything about football," Ellie told us, "I was nervous, I was shy, I didn't have a lot of friends at the time. It's just been unbelievable the journey I've had."

In recognition of the huge strides Ellie has made with the Foundation, we've asked her to open the celebrations and lead our charity march on 9th October.

You can join Ellie and sign up your own Saints team to march in this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the history between the club, its charity and our city.

Join as We March Together on Saturday 9th October, walking as one through the city to celebrate 20 years of Saints Foundation transforming lives across the community.

Our 5km route offers Saints fans a unique opportunity to look back at the history of their club. After a warm-up and welcome at Southampton Common, we will retrace the steps many fans will know well to the site of Saints’ former home, the Dell. Our journey then stops off at St Mary’s Church, paying tribute to all 135 years of Saints history where it all began.

The walk reaches its conclusion with a special celebration at St Mary’s Stadium. This is a chance for our amazing community to come together after what has been a challenging 18 months for everyone.