Mason Dunbar's grassroots story

I first started playing football outside the front of my house on this bit of grass with all my mates and that is where my love for the game came from.

Then at around the age of four or five I started playing for my local team which my dad started called Woodgate Warriors. 

I played in goal initially and then after a couple of years I moved to left back. I was a really good left back and eventually I was picked up by a club’s academy and was going to sign for them but they decided against it because of my cerebral palsy.

I ended up joining Aston Villa’s disability football team and then Jazz came to watch me from England and said about me joining the England talent pathway. 

From there I just worked my way up and up until I got to the England first team.

When the professional club turned me away because of my CP as a kid, it really hurt me and I gave up football for a bit to be honest. But then I got back on it and I’m so glad I did because playing for England is the most amazing feeling.

When I play football, I feel so happy and all the stress from the world goes away. I am just happy.

In terms of my cerebral palsy, it impacts me where if I am feeling tired, then my leg will feel particularly tired, and I get back pains and stuff like that but that is it really. I just try to get on with it.

If anything, by having CP, I’ve ended up with the opportunity to travel abroad to play football, I’ve made loads of mates and I’ve had the honour of playing for England – without CP football, I don’t know what I would have ended up doing.

Playing for England is such an excellent feeling, unlike anything I have experienced before.

Now we have the IFCPF European Championships. For me personally, I want to have the chance to play as much as I can and then hopefully help my team-mates win the whole thing. We are going there to win the tournament.