I cannot believe that I feel the need to write a blog of this nature but it is the only way that I can come to terms with something that I experienced during my youth leadership journey in football.
In the January of 2020 I become the youth council chair at Herefordshire Football Association (HFA) and as part of my role I began to engage with the other county FA youth council (CFAYC) chairs and this also included the chair for the National FA Youth Council (FANYC).
A few months into my new role I realised that not all was what it seemed and I was in actual fact being discriminated against by someone within that circle.
The individual in question had an issue with me because I identified has having a disability and not as someone who was both female and from the LGBTQIA+ community.
The issue with me really came to light during the recording of one of our podcast episodes when I was told that I wasn’t allowed to say something and needed to repeat it in a different way.
The purpose of our podcast series was to allow those involved to have the opportunity to say that they were thinking (within reason of course).
My freedom of speech was effectively taken away from me at that moment and I strongly believe that this was because I have a disability and use a wheelchair.
I was really effected by this incident because during my entire journey within youth leadership in football I was about empowering young people to have the confidence to speak out in their own way.
This blog has been incredibly difficult to write because it is about a subject that directly involves something that I experienced which wasn’t very nice.
If I was given the opportunity to sit in front of the person in question and explain to them how there actions made me feel then I would tell them this……
I was in the same role as you at county level and you made my life hell for the 18 months that I was given the opportunity to work with you.
In actual fact I was scared of you and these fears came to light during one evening when I was trying to deliver something positive for my local footballing community.
I hope that you are never given the opportunity to treat another individual who you are working with in the football community in the same that you treated me.
If you are reading this blog and thinking I’ve experienced something similar within football in my local area then I urge you to contact your football clubs safeguarding officer or the designated safeguarding officer at your county FA.
I would like to end by thanking all of my readers and followers for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest blog.
Cam
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