Congratulations to George Dowell who has been awarded an MBE in the King's New Year's Honours List.
George has been recognised for his services to football and to disability awareness having overseen a massive transformation at Worthing Football Club as its owner.
A car crash when he was 17 years old left George paralysed from the chest down and changed his life forever. Football and – amazingly - buying his hometown club, saved it.
“Nothing beats playing but you find the next best thing, coaching,” said George, whose mates persuaded him to form a new football club and to coach the team.
“It was hard from a wheelchair, but we made it work and it got me out of my shell.
“After coaching, the next best thing is owning a football club and that dream came true in 2015 when I bought the club I’d been playing for at the time of my accident in 2010, Worthing FC.”
To find out more about George and his inspiring story read the feature on him in Living with Disability magazine’s Spring 2023 edition, available online at www.livingwithdisability.org