Playing For Each Other
Olivia Canavan, Northern Ireland
My name is Olivia Canavan, I am a visually impaired athlete and I play mainstream football for Glentoran Women and Northern Ireland WU17s. With Glentoran we recently won the U18 league and with the national team we earned promotion to League A of European Qualifiers. I am looking forward to more learning and hopefully success with the U19 teams, both with Glentoran and Northern Ireland.
What has your football journey been like up until now?
I first started football at six because my brother played, and my only goal was to be better than him. I played for Bangor FC in a team with boys until 15, and with the women’s team there at the same time from 14, before joining Glentoran Women. I have been involved with the national programme since I was seven within my county and progressing up the age groups to today, recently playing with the WU17 team in Euro qualification.
Growing up and still now, football is different for me than my teammates. I play football without always seeing the ball, players, nets and sometimes even the lines. This has made coming up through age groups more challenging than it should have been, but I think it has shaped me into the person and player I am today. I am determined, resilient and very stubborn. I have had to learn ways to get around the things my sight has limited. I play by listening to the ball being kicked and bouncing off the surface and can see the movement of other players’ outlines to tell where they are hitting the ball. I also rely heavily on the communication of those around me, so I am grateful that I am surrounded by understanding players like my teammates for club and country.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
The photos are mostly of my teammates at Glentoran, Northern Ireland, and my school team. Some of the club photos were taken the night we won the league and the others were taken during the very first match. I think it is interesting to see how we grew in a season.
The NI photos were taken when we were preparing for the European Qualifiers in Belfast. We all come from different teams, but I love how close everyone is when we go into camp. The school photo shows the second ever girls’ football team at Regent House. A lot of the girls do not play football regularly but put in impressive performances in our matches.
Playing mainstream sport as a disabled athlete can often feel isolating, so I tried to show moments where we were together as a team. I have been lucky enough to have a team and staff who do all they can to help support me. Two of the physios I have had – Hayley and Dervla – showed me that it is okay to ask for help, and sometimes, you need to throw yourself into the deep end and trust that those around you will keep you afloat. Comfort zones are beautiful places, but nothing ever grows there.
I am constantly reminded that I have people that believe in me. Hayley and Dervla simply allowed me to prove them right. I have spent a lot of time proving people wrong, but now I know that I have people to prove right and that means everyone I need is beside me. Disability in sport is so much less daunting when you have people around you that make sure you never have to face anything alone. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong.
My favourite photo is of the four ninja turtles taken in the changing room on the night we won the league. One of our coaches brought them to show us the type of team we should aspire to be. A team with leaders, risk takers, hard workers, and passionate players. The turtles represented us as a group. We work better when playing for each other.
Are there any good stories connected with the people you photographed?
One of my favourite memories is standing in line for our national anthem with my three best friends in Turkey for the second round of European Qualifiers. That morning I did not really want to play in case something would happen with my vision, and I would let my team down, but after talking with our physio I was back on track. From that morning to standing on the pitch was one of my proudest moments, and it was then I realised I had everyone I needed around me.
My best friends have sat with me through the worst and best times and did whatever they could to help me. Now here we were, representing our country together. I think that is what football is about, supporting your team when things get hard and celebrating the achievements you make together, even if that may be simply stepping onto the pitch in the first place. My two best friends Rachel and Ellie in the photo with me, and the one behind the camera Kascie, have always made sure to celebrate with me.
What role does football play in your life and in your community?
Football has always played a huge part in my life and the community where I grew up. I first fell in love with the sport playing with my siblings in the parks near where we grew up in North Down. I remember the feeling of being free, running around the pitch in my neon boots, probably kicking lumps out of whoever was closest. That feeling of freedom is one I missed for a while.
For three months I quit football, but I found myself back in the park where I began. Although I go regularly now, that first time back I was brought back to being the little girl who fell in love with the sport. She did not know that the way she played was different than everyone else, and if you ask me, I do not think she would have spared it a second thought. I relearned that freedom, and I came back. I joined Glentoran and I played with that same sense of freedom. I worked hard, harder than I have before, and played in the first round of Euro Qualifiers held at home in Belfast.
Football has shown me that regardless of who you are, there is a place for you. I have slowly had to learn that you are no less capable when your disabilities become visible, and I embrace the little girl who did not care how she did it, she just wanted to play. I am not as scared to talk about being disabled in sport anymore, because what good is a voice if I am silent in the moments that I should not be?
What are the opportunities for women and girls to play football in your community?
I think for people my age, there has never been a shortage of opportunities for us as young girls to play football around Northern Ireland because of the work the women before us put in to allow us to play. A lot of us started in boys’ teams and moved over to women and girls as the standard of leagues got stronger and more competitive.
Since Northern Ireland’s first major tournament in 2022, the game has become bigger and more visible but still has a long way to go. This season, there are more divisions in the NIWFL than before and more and more clubs have set up girls’ academies. One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is go to the local park to watch the future of Northern Irish football play their matches. When I played at that age, there were two girls in the whole league but now, there are whole teams playing.
I think one of the most important things to remember about the young girls involved in football is that they do not have to want to be professionals, some just want to play for fun with their friends. While I do not doubt some will aspire to be - and will succeed in being - the next Demi Vance, Simone Magill or Julie Nelson, we often fail to remember that the best opportunity we can give women and girls around Northern Ireland is the choice to play, the choice to enjoy sport with a team.
What ambitions do you have for the future?
I do not want to be a footballer when I am older. I do not think I am able to be a footballer. Listening to the ball can only get you so far and that is okay. That is why I put everything I have into playing now. I want to show the next little footballer after me that disability does not mean inability, no one has ever made a difference by being like everyone else.
The player that made me fall in love with football was Lucy Bronze. Watching her overcome the obstacles of injury after injury showed that if you love something, you have to fight for it. I love football and the team, so I want to stay involved for as long as possible and I will be more than happy making a difference off the pitch.
When I am older I want to be a physio. The impact my physios have had on me by helping me through moments where I doubted myself and cheering me on when I did not think I could do it made me want to do the same. Helping players through the hard times in their careers seems pretty rewarding. What you do makes a difference. All you have to do is decide what kind of difference you want to make, and I want to make the pitch a more enjoyable and accessible place for everyone. I want to help those that fall, and allow them to do what they love again. My ambition is to be the voice that inspires others to want to succeed.
What do you think the future looks like for football in your community? What would you like to change?
All I can hope for football in Northern Ireland is more growth. There is so much potential in the young players and teams. The game will be passed from the current generation down to safe hands. We have so many people that can make a difference in driving women’s football in Northern Ireland forward and that can only be done with support. Not only support from the fans and those that are interested in football, but also the governing bodies.
Funding for the Women’s Premiership was cut this season, and this is more than a step backwards after the jump of the Women’s Euros. We can go no further than we have without the backing of the association. We rely on them for the important education of coaches and officials, and the pushing of women and girls’ clubs in Northern Ireland. However, the experience of the growth we have already achieved is a testament to what women’s football here is capable of with the proper support and backing.
