Powerful Disability Football Photography Series Launch
England Football has launched a photography series in collaboration with Goal Click, telling the stories of disability football in England through the eyes and words of those involved, from England internationals to grassroots participants, coaches, referees and volunteers.
The partnership will see England Football and Goal Click, a global football storytelling platform, showcase the football lives and communities of a cross-section of the disabled football community through analogue photography.
The photography series has launched with members of the Cerebral Palsy football community, coinciding with the 2022 IFCPF Men’s World Cup, which is now underway in Salou, Barcelona.
Among the powerful stories being told is that of Matt Crossen, captain of the England Men’s CP team, whose side beat Venezuela 9-0 in their second group game. Matt’s photos were taken at a pre-tournament training camp at St. George’s Park and also at his club in Norton, Teesside.
Matt is joined by Sarah Griffiths, who is a hospital doctor at Oxford University Hospitals and volunteers as a Disability and Inclusion Officer for Summertown Stars AFC in Oxford. Additionally, Sarah runs the Summertown Warriors, a football team for children with Cerebral Palsy and other physical disabilities. Sarah’s photos were captured during the fortnightly training sessions in North Oxfordshire.
The final story released was that of 19-year-old Callum Branch, who used the series to tell the story of his experiences as a member of the Basildon Frame Football team.
The photography series follows the launch of The FA’s Football Your Way plan in October 2021. The plan is committed to developing and growing disability football in all formats, at all levels. The plan includes a commitment to make sure that the profile of the game is raised at every level and across all formats and pathways.
The first phase of the photography series with Matt, Sarah and Callum’s stories are available to view at https://www.englandfootball.com/play/disability-football/goal-click-stories and @EnglandFootball. More stories across a range of disability football formats will be distributed over the course of the summer.
