Blind football: England's Owen Locke on being a fully-sighted goalkeeper in a blind team

A footballer from north London has found himself fulfilling his dreams of being called up to the England squad as goalkeeper for the blind England team.

The England Blind football team play with five players, all of whom are blind except for the goalkeeper, who is the only fully-sighted player on the pitch, and who is crucial is calling out instructions to the team. Also calling out instructions is the manager on the side and a guide at the other end of the pitch.

Owen, from Haringey, first got his call up for England while playing for the partially-sighted futsal team in summer 2022. He progressed to the England blind football team last autumn.

Locke, who has autism, found football was a great outlet for him growing up. "It always felt like if you're struggling at school the rest of your world can crumble alongside it, but football was something that always felt very natural to me." he said.

Video by Anna O'Neill and Gordon Anderson