The football club opening doors for the disabled community in Wales

A football club in South Wales is paving a way for young disabled people who say it makes them feel more confident and less alone.

Bravehearts is a community for people with physical or learning disabilities, allowing them to train in Swansea and take part in tournaments across South Wales.

It is the oldest and largest club in Wales for disabled people.

Several players at the club say that playing football on a weekly basis enables them to meet people in a similar situation and feel that they are understood. 

Ffion Thomas has dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia and has been playing regularly with the club for about a year. 

"I feel like an outcast sometimes because of my disability, people can be extremely insensitive," she said.

"At school, I was bullied because of the way I look, the way I walk and the way I talk. With the Bravehearts football club, once a week, I have somewhere to be."

"I feel more confident when I play football, I don’t know if it’s because I’m with people like me, who understand what I’m going through," she added. 

As well as offering a place for young people to feel safe, the club gives them the opportunity to relax and socialise.

The club was established by Alan Honeyman in 2000 and, since then, the club has organised tournaments across Wales. Bravehearts also finds opportunities for people to compete at a higher level if they wish.

Another member of the club is Ciaran Fitzgerald, who lives with cerebral palsy. He also feels like people criticise him because of his physical disability. 

"People think I have a learning disability when I don't - I have to work hard to prove people wrong," he said.

"I identify with the social model of disability - that I am not disabled by the specific condition, but the barriers that exist within society." 

According to a study by Loughborough University looking at the trends of disabled people in sport, "access to these activities is not equal", as "significant barriers" prevent participation. 

Cerys Lydia had started going to Bravehearts football club after seeing her brother enjoying the training sessions and the tournament. 

For Cerys and her brother, the club is more than somewhere to go to play football, it is an opportunity for them to feel safe.

 "Groups like these are good for people with disabilities because they can meet people who are in a similar situation and they are not alone."

The members of the club share the feeling that Bravehearts is more than a football club. As Ffion said, Bravehearts is a team but also like a "big family." 

You can watch the full programme from GRID on Hansh's YouTube channel.

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