Sights Set On The Future
Zayd, England
Goal Click and the Premier League Charitable Fund (PLCF) collaborated on a campaign to showcase the powerful impact of the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association (PL PFA) Community Fund.
Six individuals from Aston Villa Foundation, Palace for Life Foundation and Wolves Foundation have documented the activities made possible by the PL PFA Community Fund and the impact the programme has made on their personal lives. Zayd has been supported by Aston Villa Foundation and their Villa Vision programme, to improve his eye health and eye care and build confidence in academic and everyday life.
My name is Zayd and I am 10 years old. I like to play football with my friends at school. It was through my school that I heard about Villa Vision and got to know about it.
I needed to check my eyesight so Villa Vision helped me by checking it. I got some glasses to help me see better. Villa Vision also came to my class and they taught me about my eyes.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
I took photos of my classmates, because when I get injured (playing football) they are like “oh no!” and they make me feel safe.
The photos were taken in my classroom during the Villa Vision workshop, vision screening and in the Villa Vision van. I took some photos around school, for example the dinner hall, reception and gym hall. I also took some photos when I was not at school.
I tried to show what happened during the Villa Vision workshop, vision screening and eye testing. I wanted to show some things that I was doing because my glasses make me feel more confident. I also tried to show reception, eating lunch, and students learning.
Why is football important to you and to your community?
It is healthy to exercise and practising the sport provides you with the chance to win as a community. My ambition is to become a footballer when I am older. I would like to be a defensive midfielder. I would need to be patient because teammates might be upset about the referee’s decision and I would need to help them calm down and be helpful. I would also need to be able to encourage the other players to do their best.
How does taking part in Villa Vision make you feel? What do you like most?
The people at Villa Vision make me feel comfortable and like I belong. I liked the eye testing because the light used during the test made me feel nice. When I first got my glasses, they were very new and I was not used to them so I tried to get used to them. Without the glasses everything was smaller but then with the glasses everything got bigger so from the back of the class I can see properly – just how I can see from the front. It made me feel better and more confident because if I am going to play football I will be better and my vision will improve.
My happiest memory in time is when I received a gift from Aston Villa because I wanted a free football lesson ever since I was six.
How have Villa Vision and Aston Villa helped with your confidence and what impact has that confidence had on your life?
Villa Vision taught me about how my eyes can change after long hours of screen time and that regular checkups can prevent long-term bad vision.
My glasses make me look really cool and that increases my confidence because I wear them every day. The glasses let me get past the blurriness and to be a good football player (which is my ambition) you need great vision to succeed.
I played in two summer football sessions through Villa Vision which gave me the chance to interact with people I had never met before. This helped me build confidence because it increased my ability to adapt and showed me that I can meet new people.
What are your hopes for the future? What do you want to change?
I want to change Birmingham by becoming a Police Officer for a few months to reduce the crime rate. I also want to help England win the Euros and the World Cup when I become a footballer.
