The idea developed after the father of a partially sighted boy complained that his son had been rejected by a local amateur football club. This motivated Davison to create a team for partially sighted children
We all know that engaging in sport can be a way out of difficult life situations such as addiction, depression, and social exclusion. For one man, sport—specifically football—changed his life and brought him closer to the community of persons with disabilities.
According to BBC News, Ryan Davison from the English town of Pontefract in 2023 experienced what no parent wants to imagine: the death of his own son. During the time he was searching for meaning in life, something that would help him rise above personal tragedy and carry on, he came up with the idea of founding a football team.
However, Davison did not found just any football team—he founded a football team for children with visual impairments.
The idea developed after the father of a partially sighted boy complained that his son had been rejected by a local amateur football club. This motivated Davison to create a team for partially sighted children.
All children who have problems with peripheral vision or spatial perception are welcome in his team. Training sessions for this team are held every Sunday at the pitches of the A1 Football Factory sports complex, and they are supported by the local charity organization for people with visual impairments, Wakefield Sight Aid.
“I just want there to be lots of children of all abilities who come here, feel safe, and simply express themselves. I feel that in doing this I’ve made my little boy proud,” said coach Davison.
The team consists of about 15 children, both boys and girls. During training, the children use balls of different colours, reflective markers, and communicate verbally.
After nearly two years of working with partially sighted children, football training will begin in April this year for children with physical disabilities as well.
“Children don’t want to be treated differently, they just want to play football in a place where they feel safe and accepted,” the coach emphasised.
Parents confirm that the coach is doing a great job with the children who have visual impairments, saying that training with the team has changed their children’s lives for the better.
“From not knowing anyone like herself, she has come to meet all these children—it means a lot to her. From a phase of insecurity, she now says that her disability is a superpower,” said Samantha Hayward-Bannister, the mother of a girl who trains with the team.
One of the boys who trains, thirteen-year-old Buddy, said he enjoys every training session.
“I only come once a week, but when I come, it’s really good and I really enjoy it,” he said.
Hayley Grocock, the chief executive of Wakefield District Sight Aid, said the progress the children have made through training is incredible.
“Some of these children I have known for quite a while, and seeing how they have grown and developed because they were in an environment that enabled and empowered them to be the best they can be is absolutely phenomenal,” Grocock said.
Stories and actions like this are the true image of inclusion that the world should strive for.
