New Disability Football Format Launched

A brand-new format of grassroots disability football for adults has been introduced by England Football.

Learn to Play Disability is the first-ever tailored sessional football programme available for adults 16+ with pan-disabilities who want to learn how to play football, with coaches trained specifically to lead each session.

First to experience the new format were BAFTA-winning actor and comedian, Jack Carroll (pictured left), and England Partially Sighted footballer, Adam Lione (pictured right), who joined players and coaches for the inaugural Learn to Play Disability session.

Comedian and actor Jack, who was born with cerebral palsy, noted the impact the new disability-specific format will have for adults looking for a route into football.

“You can really see that the demand and desire for this kind of coached football is there, and that England Football are matching that through the introduction of these non-competitive sessions,” said Jack.

“People are engaging with disability football at different levels, and all levels are now catered for. People living with disabilities will now feel that they’ve got the ability to enter and play football at whatever level they feel comfortable.”

An England Para player for the past 14 years, Adam Lione’s first experience of disability football was playing in a pan-disability team at the age of 15.

“I’m sure there are so many people who acquired their disability later in life and thought ‘my days of playing sport are done’, or others who have lived with an impairment their whole lives and haven’t quite found that place where they feel comfortable in sport,” said Adam.

“This programme is a great initiative and offers a route into football where people can come and be themselves and harness their skills in a safe and supportive environment.”

Until now, the main route into playing football for adults with a disability has been to play competitively by joining an affiliated disability team. With a thriving network of 2200+ pan- disability teams across England, more disabled players are registered now than ever before.

Grassroots football has seen a huge growth in both adoption and opportunity in all forms of disability football in England over the past year. The number of players accessing disability football has increased by 9.57% in the past 12 months, with England Football meeting this demand by increasing opportunities across all disability formats by 15.3% in the same period.

Two years ago, England Football launched Comets, the first tailored programme of its kind designed for 5–11-year-olds with pan-disabilities. Since 2023, nearly 300 new providers have completed the required training and now offer opportunities for children to play football in a safe and fun environment.

Learn to Play Disability aims to build on this success and offer a similar growth in access to flexible and inclusive opportunities for adult participants.

For further information visit https://www.englandfootball.com/just-play-learn-to-play