England international and BAFTA-winning comedian launch new format of pan-disability football in England

Launching on International Day of Persons with Disabilities [3 December 2025], Learn to Play Disability is the first-ever tailored sessional football programme available for disabled adults aged 16 plus who want to learn how to play football, with coaches trained specifically to lead each session. 

Among the first to experience the new format, BAFTA-winning actor and comedian Jack Carroll and England Partially Sighted footballer Adam Lione joined players and coaches at West Riding FA near Leeds to take part in the inaugural Learn to Play Disability session. 

There, they spoke to coaches newly trained to deliver the format about the importance of increasing opportunities in sport for disabled people. 

Comedian and actor Jack, who was born with cerebral palsy, noted the impact the new disability-specific format will have for adults looking for a route into football. He said: “You can really see that the demand and desire for this kind of coached football is there, and that England Football are matching that through the introduction of these non-competitive sessions. 

"People are engaging with disability football at different levels, and all levels are now catered for. People living with disabilities will now feel that they’ve got the ability to enter and play football at whatever level they feel comfortable.” 

An England Para player for the past 14 years, Adam Lione’s first experience of disability football was playing in a pan-disability team at the age of 15. He said: “I’m sure there are so many people who acquired their disability later in life and thought ‘my days of playing sport are done’, or others who have lived with an impairment their whole lives and haven’t quite found that place where they feel comfortable in sport. 

“This programme is a great initiative and offers a route into football where people can come and be themselves and harness their skills in a safe and supportive environment. I think the coaches will learn so much too, and through the new training will understand how to better engage with and adapt their sessions for the players in from of them.” 

Until now, the main route into playing football for disabled adults has been to play competitively by joining an affiliated disability team. With a thriving network of 2200+ disability teams across England, more disabled players are registered now than ever before. 

Grassroots football has seen a huge growth in both adoption and opportunity in all forms of disability football in England over the past year. The number of players accessing disability football has increased by 9.57 per cent in the past 12 months, with England Football meeting this demand by increasing opportunities across all disability formats by 15.3 per cent in the same period. 

Two years ago, England Football launched Comets, the first tailored pan-disability programme of its kind designed for 5–11-year-olds. Since 2023, nearly 300 new providers have completed the required training and now offer opportunities for children to play football in a safe and fun environment. 

Learn to Play Disability aims to build on this success and offer a similar growth in access to flexible and inclusive opportunities for adult participants.