Goal Click have teamed up with EE to tell the stories of UK grassroots teams born out of adversity - that have overcome hate with hope, with the aim of making the beautiful game more inclusive for all. Because there is a place in football for everyone. To find your place in football, in Wales, head here. Can you introduce yourself and tell us how your football life began? My name is Jamie, I am 27, originally from Nottingham. I hopped over the bridge to Cardiff in September for university and never left.
After moving from Nottingham to the south coast of Devon, I started playing football. But my love of football pretty much started brewing from birth - I was born into a family that loves football. My mum is an avid Manchester City fan, passed down from my grandparents. There was never a doubt which team I would support.
What has your football journey been like up until now? I played for Newton Abbot 66 AFC for around 6 years, moving from 7-a-side to a-side and also playing futsal. When I was 16, I encountered some medical issues that bought my time playing football to a firm halt. I continued to watch football and go to matches, but always missed actually playing. I was recommended to the Cardiff Dragons by a friend who played in the same league.
The idea of a 7-a-side casual club was very welcome, and seemed like a great place to start to try and get back into playing. What did you try to capture with your photos? Was there a wider meaning with the photos? I tried to encapsulate the essence of being a Cardiff Dragon and specifically a Drock; the community, the friendship, the love of the game. Our team and our club is more than just the players and the football; it is just as important off the pitch too, being a safe space for all our players.
I also very much wanted to show off our fancy new kit designed by one of our players. It is utterly beautiful. Most of the people are Cardiff Dragons players, but there are also the referees from the tournament and some of our supporters. We first met Michelle at a tournament we participated in at the beginning of the year, and loved the fact there was a female referee in our local area.
