Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Hunter

‘Bigger than any other’: St George’s Park showcases the best of disability football

Players from Portsmouth and Everton compete in last year’s Amputee Cup final at St George’s Park, which Everton won 4-2. The two teams are again involved in this year’s final
Players from Portsmouth and Everton compete in last year’s Amputee Cup final, which Everton won 4-2. The two teams will repeat the final again this year. Photograph: three lines photography

“Football Your Way” is the name of the Football Association’s three-year plan to improve disability football at every level. Its impact will be clear this weekend at St George’s Park, where Sean Jackson’s way from Sunday league football on the Isle of Man to an FA Disability Cup final with Everton reflects a sport on the rise.

St George’s Park is staging the largest disability cup competition of its kind on Saturday and Sunday with the eighth edition of the FA Disability Cup. There will be six impairment-specific cup finals – amputee, blind, cerebral palsy, deaf, partially sighted and powerchair – each broadcast live on TNT Sports with highlights on Channel 4. For the England and Everton defender Jackson, the event and the exposure demonstrate how far the sport has come in the seven years since he started playing.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.