Meet the man moving the goal posts for disabled football players

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From BBC Super Movers

Charlie Sketchley is a disability coordinator at Burton Albion Community Trust using his lived experience of cerebral palsy to inspire others to take part in sport.

When he was young, Charlie enjoyed a variety of sports, but never thought disability football was something for him:

“I remember plain as day, 2002 World Cup, England played Brazil, I was at school and everyone remembers that game. It turns out that the same weekend, the cerebral palsy men’s team were playing in the final of their World Cup, there was nothing about that.”

Charlie’s journey into sport started when he attended summer camps during the holidays as a child. From this, he discovered he had a talent for sports, particularly table tennis as he went on to compete in international fixtures for England as a teenager. However, growing up there weren’t as many sports options for Charlie compared to his non-disabled peers. He says: “There were the occasional SEN and disability teams, but they weren't really a big thing and it was never publicised in the media.”

Later on, Charlie met with coaches from a Para football scheme who introduced him to the West Midlands cerebral palsy football team. While Charlie enjoyed playing football, he wanted to engage more with others in his community and found his true calling to become a sports coach.