Finding The Joy In Football

James Gifford-Hull, England

Goal Click, Southampton, and Utilita have created a new storytelling series, telling the inside story of the Football Rebooted campaign to rehome at least 1 million pairs of quality football boots across the UK - all through the eyes and voices of the individuals and communities contributing and benefiting from the campaign. James Gifford-Hull is a player at SaintsAbility, part of the Saints Foundation.

What has your football journey been up until now?

My name is James Gifford-Hull, I am 36 and grew up in a small village called Ropley, near Winchester, England. For the last 10 years, I have lived and worked in Southampton where I am currently working as a Data Processor for a medical research centre.

Football has always been close to my heart. It has always been a passion for me right from when I first kicked a ball. Although I did not progress to a more competitive level, football has shaped me as a person.

I started playing regularly at primary school and developed into a very good goalkeeper when I started playing every day at my secondary school. Goalkeeper was never my favourite position, but my tall build and sharp reflexes meant that was where I was most effective. I kept playing in goal after I left school for various local clubs and 5-a-side teams.

As I grew older and settled into an office environment unfortunately my fitness really suffered, and I started to play less and less. I tried joining a few local teams, but I found it difficult to integrate with the players already there and to play regularly. I felt that along with my Asperger’s and social difficulties, I was never really supported or encouraged to really feel included. But my passion for football has never wavered, despite my self-confidence and willingness to join new teams unfortunately suffering due to these experiences.

However, in 2021 I got to know a young neighbour of mine who loves playing football and he told me about SaintsAbility, run by the Saints Foundation. It was a perfect opportunity for me to start playing again in an environment that is open to all abilities and would also be supporting and understanding with my Asperger's Syndrome and social confidence complexities.

I began to play outfield as a defender and enjoyed it more, despite knowing I am better as a goalkeeper!

For me winning is important and it is not just the taking part that counts! You need that sense of overcoming a challenge and bettering yourself and those around you. But playing in an environment where I can express myself how I want gives me a great sense of freedom and joy like I have never had before in football.

Knowing my neighbour and playing with SaintsAbility also led to an opportunity to play for a 6-a-side team called Brendon in a disability league, where I feel like I excelled in my defensive role. This league had a mixture of 6-a-side teams with varying skills and competitiveness that was played once a month with short 20-minute games. 

Despite the format, some games were very hard, and it was the perfect time for me to be challenged.  This was all quite the revival for me in terms of the amount of football I was playing. It has had a great positive impact on my overall wellbeing.

Unfortunately, in February 2022 I sustained a severe groin tear that I am still trying to recover from. It was quite a shock to me to sustain an injury this severe. I am now simply in a state of hope that I can play again in the coming months. It has been a worry given how much I was loving playing again!

What did you try to capture with your photos? Was there a wider meaning with the photos? 

The photos were mostly taken at the SaintsAbility sessions and at Brendon football matches in the disability league. 

I wanted to capture my teammates to help illustrate that football and disability football specifically is inclusive of all abilities, disabilities, and characters. This is not always illustrated very well, and I want to show that even someone like me, who just likes playing football but has some social difficulties, is welcome as well.

I also tried to capture my neighbour, who provided me with the knowledge and opportunity to get back into playing football again through SaintsAbility. We have grown into a defensive partnership in competitive matches which has been very satisfying and allowed me to get to know my neighbour even more. He is younger than me and has more potential than me going forward, but it has been satisfying to give him some of my football ideas and tactics that I have learned over the years to help improve his game. 

What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?

Football is a big part of my life, but football is also an escape from everything else going on in the world. Sometimes football feels like its own reality with its own rules. I hope I can continue to play football for most of my life, even in a limited capacity in older age. 

If I stay involved with football, I feel that it will continue to provide me with good mental wellbeing and continue to influence choices I make in life in a positive way.

What do you think the future looks like for football in your community? What do you want to change? 

Community football initiatives can be a fantastic support for people who want to play inclusive football. It provides opportunities to both volunteers, who get great satisfaction out of giving back to their community, as well as the participants.

The main challenge is providing awareness that these community initiatives exist. People cannot join these groups if they do not know about them. Southampton FC has more of an identity than just the Premier League first team. Supporting communities and grassroots has a positive impact on the future of the club even if it is in an indirect way.

How did you hear about Football Rebooted? 

I heard about Football Rebooted through SaintsAbility. It has made me realise just how far the passion to provide footballing opportunities to the community around me reaches. 

What do you do to be more environmentally friendly? Is there anything you think football players and fans can do to be more environmentally sustainable?  

I like to be clean and never drop litter. I think switching to cleaner energies is the biggest factor in becoming more environmentally friendly and this responsibility lies with people on much bigger pay packets than me!

In terms of football, car sharing to football matches is important both for the environment and building a group atmosphere in the build-up to a game. And encouraging people not to just drop their litter and recycle!

Series edited by Emma Walley.