Welcome to VERCIDA website.

Skip to main content
Enable Recite to make this website accessible

Introducing football your way - Landmark disability football plan

Category: Disability (Learning/Mental/Physical)

Disability

The FA

We have announced an ambitious new three-year plan titled Football Your Way, to help develop, improve and raise awareness of Disability Football in England. 

The new plan is the first of its kind and covers seven key areas, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that as part of the equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, disabled people have the opportunity to engage and participate in football their way, from grassroots all the way to the elite end of the game. The plan comes under the umbrella of the broader equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which is about creating A Game For All

The launch of the three-year plan, from 2021-2024, outlines our intentions to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce from inside the FA and out, and from top to bottom, whilst also growing participation, increasing the number and quality of coaches, developing an inclusive and diverse talent pathway, increasing support for elite players and raising the profile of disability football at every level. 

Football Your Way will allow us to create and sustain a culture across the sport where disabled people have access to all opportunities and feel they truly belong, both on and off the pitch.

The seven pillars of focus are:

• Our People and FA Culture: Build full-scale awareness of what we have to offer disabled people while increasing understanding within the organisation around what it means to have a disability. Enhancing this understanding and creating an increased culture of inclusion will help increase disability declaration and representation within the organisation from 3.3 per cent to ten per cent.

• Participation: A focus on recovering and returning to pre Covid participation levels and then increasing the number of disabled people taking part in football, whether that be simply for fun or for competition across schools, clubs and the community

• Talent Pathway: Ensure that disabled people understand what is available and how they can grow as athletes and showcase how sustainable and inclusive the pathway is. By 2024 the forecast is an increase of 25 per cent of players coming up through the Talent Pathway into England Para teams

• National Teams: Provide world-class coaching and support services for six senior England and associated U21 teams with the aim of every Para team challenging for podium success by 2024. Football Your Way also commits to establishing two new blind and cerebral palsy England Women’s teams by 2024

• Coach Development: Focus on recruiting and developing a great number of quality coaches that can nurture and grow future football players. By 2024, personalised support will have been delivered to all coaches in the talent and international pathway

• Marketing and Communications: Embedding disability into everything that we do. This will range from ensuring disabled people are represented when we showcase our football offerings, to ensuring that we proactively increase the promotion of disability football. This will include driving awareness of opportunities available for disabled players, coaches or administrators and will be about working to challenge stereotypes and change perceptions

• Partnerships: Ensuring sustainable funding is allocated to the future of disability football by securing two additional purpose-led partners.

The plan launched at Wembley Stadium connected by EE with Baroness Sue Campbell and Edleen John, who are strategically co-leading on this agenda.

Baroness Sue Campbell, our director of women’s football, said: "Football has an incredible power to bring people together, and we're determined that disabled people have equal access to opportunities so that everyone can be involved in the game they love. Our new plan for Disability Football, Football Your Way, will help create a sustainable culture that improves opportunities for disabled people, making the game fun and accessible, as well as providing world-class coaching. We are sending a clear message: if you have a disability there are opportunities for you to participate, whether that’s for fun or through pan disability or impairment specific football, to enjoy the game and reach your potential.”

Edleen John, our international relations, corporate affairs and co-partner for equality, diversity and inclusion director,added: "We want to inspire future generations by showcasing the many opportunities on and off the pitch available to disabled people, whether they want to work for our organisation, develop as elite players or coaches or just play the game for fun with friends. By working together as one united team with a common-purpose and vision, we can achieve this ambitious plan for the development of disability football and increased understanding and awareness across England."

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted on participation levels and this plan will help those affected by providing a platform to overcome setbacks and bring people back together.

Speaking on the impact of disability football is England international and Merseyside VIFC Blind footballer, Azeem Amir, who said: "Being able to play football at a high level with other disabled players has been an amazing opportunity for me. Football has made a significant difference to my life and to the lives of those I play with at every level. I hope the FA’s new plan, Football Your Way, can help raise awareness of disability football and provide significant opportunities to inspire people to play the game, from kids who are giving it a go for the first time, to fellow internationals on the world stage."

For further information our new plan for Disability Football, which is available for download in various accessible versions, view the resources section below. 

To view a British Sign Language version with subtitles and a voiceover, please see below:

Vercida logo

VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please email [email protected] for more information.

Learn more about this employer

The FA

Inclusive features

  • Race, Ethnicity & Heritage
  • Social Responsibility (Charity/ Volunteering)
  • Staff Network Group
  • Religious & Spiritual Beliefs
  • Training & Development
Leisure, Sport, Fitness, Health The FA

Thank you for registering on VERCIDA - the leading job site for companies that are passionate about diversity and inclusion.

  • Check out our client profiles to get the latest on their DE&I credentials
  • Look out for client benefits next to all our job specs
  • Sign up for job alerts to keep up to date on new roles as they come in
  • Search 1000s of roles from the biggest brands

Please proceed to the next step. If you are unable to complete the next stage of application please use the contact form HERE.

You will receive an email with link to reset your password.

Enter your new password