Boy's day as mascot 'shows world slowly changing'

The mother of an 11-year-old boy with Down's syndrome said his "amazing" experience as mascot for Coventry City shows the "world is starting to change".

Archie, who is a die-hard Sky Blues fan, walked out with his favourite team before their 1-0 win over Bristol City on Saturday.

His mum, Becky, said she was worried her son, who is non-verbal, would be overwhelmed by the experience.

However, the club and its players were "fantastic" with Archie, she said.

"He had an amazing day. You can't put a price on memories like that," she said.

Since Archie, from Coundon, fell in love with the sport, he and his mum have gone to watch the Championship team play every other week.

He was given the chance to walk out with Dutch defender Milan van Ewijk ahead of the team's match at the CBS Arena in Coventry, as a Christmas present.

Becky said while she supported him through most of the experience, the club was "really good" at accommodating his needs.

"The players were fantastic with him," she added.

"The fact the team were amazing with him is hopefully a sign that slowly the world is starting to change."

Jodie Jones, head of supporter services and fan experience at Coventry City, said: "We try to create a superb day for all of our mascots, but it's especially nice to know that the steps that we took to make it an amazing day for Archie did exactly that.

"It was a pleasure to meet Archie and his family, and I'm sure it will be a day they will cherish for many years to come."

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