An inspirational young Altrincham fan is helping raise money for special needs sports with an incredible fundraiser

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Altrincham FC fan with Down Syndrome raising money for disability sports running fundraiser

An inspirational young football fan from the Greater Manchester area is taking on an incredible running challenge this summer in an effort to help bring sports for those with disabilities to his local team, Altrincham FC.

21-year-old Joseph Adams is an Altrincham superfan with a massive heart and an even bigger love of the beautiful game, and he will soon be tasking himself with a demanding feat of fitness in the hope of helping bring football to his home club for supporters who have special needs.

Diagnosed with Down Syndrome, Joseph has taken part in many adapted sports from football and dancing to skiing, rugby and more, even winning multiple gold medals including one at the 2023 UK Down Syndrome National Swimming Championships.

It’s safe to say that this is a cause very near and dear to both Joe and his family; so, in an effort to help deliver support for special needs activities through Alty FC, the die-hard young Robins fan is setting himself the task of running ten 10ks in a total of ten different countries over the course of just five days.

Joseph has had a defiant and determined attitude to everything since he was a kid. (Credit: GoFundMe/Supplied)

Taking on what he has called the ‘No Limits‘ challenge in the coming weeks, Joseph is aiming to raise a total of £250,000 in order for Altrincham to hire a dedicated disability sports officer role this year.

As a non-league football club and even with the recent backing from more than 20 new investors, the local Trafford-based outfit obviously doesn’t have unlimited resources, so fundraising efforts like these are their only option.

With that in mind, Joe, his parents and two sisters will be completing the running challenge in less than a week as part of the club’s growing Community Sports charity arm to help establish a programme for children and adults with special needs.

Having already raised well over a whopping £176k of his overall target, his ultimate goal is to broaden the programme to provide further support, training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities across the local area and beyond Altrincham too.

Speaking about the excitement of his upcoming challenge, Joseph said: “I’m really looking forward to visiting lots of countries and running with my family and I can’t wait for a beer at the finish! […] Think Race Across the World meets Hardest Geezer! I don’t know if I can do it but I am going to try my best.”

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Dad Phil Adams said of his inspiring son: “When Joseph was born, his Mum and I were told about all the things he wouldn’t be able to do because he has Down Syndrome, but we vowed to take a no-limits approach to what he could do and 21 years later, we couldn’t be prouder of him…

“Ironically, he hates running and hadn’t really tried before taking on this latest challenge but what we’ve all learned over the years is that Joseph has been able to achieve a huge amount more than we might have expected when we ignore perceived wisdom.”

A number of Manchester-based businesses such as Castore, Travel Counsellors, Houlihan Lokey, DMR, FK Group and Farrat have lent their support to Joseph’s Challenge and the No Limits campaign, including Altrincham FC’s own official front-of-shirt sponsor, AO.

Founder and CEO, John Roberts alongside his wife Sally, have donated a generous £30k between them to the cause, with Roberts commenting: “The sky really is the limit and Joseph is living that philosophy in spades. He’s an inspiring young man and every one of AO’s 3,000 employees wishes him every success.

The youngster’s incredible journey will conclude as he passes the finish line of the Altrincham 10k on Sunday, 1 September. You can do your bit to help by donating to Joseph Adams and his incredible running challenge, which will help provide important access to sport, HERE.

It has to be said, there is a very wholesome buzz around the J Davidson Stadium lately.

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Featured Images — Handouts/AO (supplied)