14-year-old Bryan Elliott plays Cerebral Palsy (CP) football and posts training videos online to encourage others with disabilities to get involved in the game.
CP football is a seven aside version of the game for ambulant players with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders. There is no offside rule and the game is played for a total of 60 minutes (30 minutes per half).
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During the lockdown, Bryan's inspiring videos caught the attention of the FA, who decided to make him an ambassador for their pan-disability football scheme - Football Your Way (FYW).
Speaking to LADbible, Bryan said: "I was trying to train and do stuff in my garden, trying to get ready for the new season.
"I thought I should try and make some videos and show other people that you can play and keep fit.
"That's when the FA got in contact and asked me if I wanted to be part of the 'Football Your Way Hub', which was really amazing."
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Bryan has right-sided hemiplegia cerebral palsy which affects his strength, balance and coordination. Initially, the youngster found that he wasn't suited to play in a typical Sunday league environment.
He said: "I was playing mainstream football for a team called Fishlake Falcons. But I wasn't always getting a lot of game time and I wasn't really enjoying it too much.
"So I went online and I found Jack Rutter who was a former CP captain who played at the Paralympics and stuff. I got in touch with him to see if there was any way into Pan disability football.
"After that, he got back to me with some clubs and stuff and he showed me CP United, which is where I'm at now.
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"I'm playing football with all my friends with disabilities, which is a lot better and I just enjoy it a lot."
According to the FA, there are currently 1,991 affiliated disability teams in England - 72 percent (1,451 teams) consist of pan-disability footballers and CP footballers make up 2.3 percent (46 teams). 71 percent of players are adults, whilst 29 percent are regarded as youth.
CP United is a pan-disability football club in Manchester and it usually involves a three-and-a-half-hour trip to get to training on a Saturday. However, his father, Bryan Sr, 36, ensured that the long journey isn't an issue for them.
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The proud father added: "It's worth every mile, he gets to play with kids of his same ability and the club's great - they have kids there who are on frames, you know, really young right up to the adults and there's a pathway for the kids to work their way through different groups depending on their ability and their aspirations."
Alongside working with the FA, the 14-year-old has also caught the attention of famous footballers, including Marcus Rashford, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville.
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"It's been great meeting loads of people, Scholes sent me a video during lockdown because I was finding it hard in lockdown. He messaged me saying 'everything's going to be alright', which was really amazing.
The youngster's inspiration is former England and Paralympic captain, Jack Rutter. Despite going on to become a major influencer for CP footballers, his journey to the top was not planned.
Jack was a former Birmingham City Youth player and had featured in Steve Bruces's first team. Unfortunately, he suffered an assault on a night out celebrating an FA cup victory. He endured a fractured skull in two places and his dream of obtaining a professional contract was cut short.
Despite suffering from depression, he managed to turn his life around and has become an inspiration for players like Bryan, who said that he 'wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Jack'.
Bryan hopes to continue his good work in the future.
"When I played 11-aside I wasn't really enjoying it, I don't want other people to be like that. If I can do my bit, hopefully others can be happy and enjoy their sport."
To donate or get involved with pan-disability football, click on the following link.
Featured Image Credit: Bryan Richard Elliott
