Football without everyone is nothing - #6 Owen Coyle Junior (England Amputee Football Association)

Football without everyone is nothing #6 Owen Coyle Junior (England Amputee Football Association)

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say the proposed Super League was met by little more than a shrug in my house. In all honesty I was happy that the cat was finally out of the bag. Take your ball, and sod off I thought. My allegiances with football have always been less about the sport, and more about everything good that comes with it. The friendship, the camaraderie, the sense of unconditional inclusion. Now, it would of course be disingenuous of me to suggest that I, as a white, heterosexual man in my mid 20’s has ever had to truly deal with exclusion in any real world sense. It would also be naive of me to suggest that football has always been a place where everyone feels welcome. Far from it. But I firmly believe that football, more so than anywhere else, has the power to enact social movements that encourage better inclusion for all. 

With that in mind, I introduce to you, to the ‘Football without everyone is nothing’ series.

Every day this week I will be speaking to different individuals, and organisations, all of whom have used football as a vehicle to improve social inclusion. As we well know, social inclusion is a key component of improving our collective mental health, so that will be a crucial part of our focus as well. 

Today, in episode five we'll be speaking with Owen Coyle Junior. Owen is a coach at the England Amputee Football Association (EAFA). The EAFA is a registered charity supporting amputees, the congenitally deficient, and those with limb affecting disabilities engage in football from grassroots to international. 

You can find out more about the England Amputee Football Association via their Twitter feed @Amputeefootball or head to their website https://theeafa.co.uk/ you can also find Owen Coyle Junior on Twitter @OwenCoyleJnr96 

If you want to get involved with Man Marking, then find us @marking_man on twitter, and use the hashtag #FootballWithoutEveryoneIsNothing