Dylan’s journey with deaf football at AITC
For Dylan Lord-Greaves, reaching the pinnacle of his sport is just the beginning.
Dylan, from Portslade, is completely deaf and has cochlear implants on both sides of his head.
He absolutely lives for football and has dreams of making it as a professional.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 4,” Dylan told us.
“Ever since I was a little boy I’ve loved playing football, and I still love it. I play every day.”
Dylan, 21, has been a participant at Albion in the Community’s inclusive sessions for a number of years.
During that time he has excelled as a footballer, going on to play at the highest level of deaf football in England.
“Albion in the Community has been so important to me and my development,” Dylan said, “I love playing and training with them.”
Dylan is a versatile player who can be deployed all over the pitch, but he says he’s at his best when playing as a centre back.
Despite reaching the top level of deaf football in this country, Dylan is far from satisfied; he believes he has what it takes to become a full-time professional footballer.
“I want to reach as high as possible, to be a professional. I want to play for a hearing team, to reach the very top level of football,” Dylan said.
“I like to win as much as I can to stay at the top, but it comes with sacrifices: training every day, eating healthy, keeping fit.”
Dylan is used to communicating by talking and lip reading, but playing alongside other deaf players meant Dylan had another thing to think about on the pitch: sign language.
“I’ve had to use sign language a lot more often than my voice, so it was a big challenge to play while I was still learning sign language,” Dylan told us.
Having spent a lot of time around other people with hearing impairments, Dylan is full of respect for his fellow players.
“I’ve been impressed and inspired at what deaf people can achieve,” he said.
Dylan’s football journey began with AITC, but he won’t be satisfied until he’s playing in front of thousands of fans screaming his name.
To find out more about how you can take part in disability football sessions, click here:https://bhafcfoundation.org.uk/football-participation/disability-football/
This story was written when our name was Albion in the Community. As of August 1 2023, we are the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.