Dedicated mum has spent more than a decade transforming the lives of young amputees through football.
Elaine’s mission was inspired by her son Jamie, 23, who was born without a foot and missing the lower part of his right leg. Jamie was delivered when Elaine was in a coma following an accident, and she came round not knowing her baby had been born, let alone named by hospital staff.
Jamie grew up loving football but at the age of five was told he couldn’t continue playing for his team due to his prosthetic. Elaine and her husband David, who died in 2019, tried several different teams but no one let him play. Eventually, while taking Jamie to a Bolton Wanderers match, Elaine was approached by someone who spotted Jamie and asked if they’d heard about amputee football. Jamie was invited to a pan-disability inclusive football session, where a coach invited him to the England Amputee Football Association.
However at the EAFA, Elaine was told there was no dedicated children’s programme and Jamie could only train alongside adults. She lobbied the head coach to develop a junior team, and she is now Head of EAFA Juniors and Head of Safeguarding, providing an essential lifeline to children who believed they would never play again.
In her roles, both as a volunteer, Elaine coaches, mentors, and spearheads vital fundraising, offering children a pathway into sport, starting with weekend camps in Cheshire and Blackpool. Elaine is also a cleaner and works in a local pub. Everything she earns either helps the team, or pays for her to cook a roast dinner every Sunday, which she delivers to around 30 vulnerable or isolated people in her community.
Elaine, 53, from Blackpool, says: “As a toddler, Jamie just wanted to kick a football about with one foot. When he was five, he was told he could come and train but he would never play in the matches. He was into football from a young age, he had a fire in his belly for the sport. When he wasn’t allowed to play my husband was furious.
“After that I found out about amputee football – I had no idea about it. The kids weren’t getting a chance because they were playing against adults so I decided to get a junior team together. Now we run eight camps a year.”
Elaine adds: “At first, for me to watch my son play with kids his age was amazing. Watching your child achieve something so great is incredible, and they are the best kids in the whole world.”
Jamie now plays amputee football for Everton and England, and is due to play in the Amputee World Cup in Mexico in November.
Elaine says: “Young people come to us at the toughest of times. They believe they’ll never play football again, and some get selected to the squad and even go on to represent England. It’s been an extremely long journey but I’m really proud of where we are today. It’s due to the community we’ve built and the hard work and dedication of so many incredible people.”
