Once told to sit out of PE, Kieran Green now has many sporting titles under his belt. From cerebral palsy football to wheelchair rugby and beyond, he’s proving disability is not a limit – but a launchpad. Now he’s on a mission to make sure no young person is ever left on the sidelines again.
Kieran Green was born with cerebral palsy, something that could have defined him. Yet he decided that being a Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation coach, a Wales wheelchair rugby international, and the founder of Adaptive Boxing, is what really makes him.
This has been part of his mentality from the start.
“At home my family were so supportive and they pushed me to try anything sporty,” Green says. “But when I was at school, teachers were not aware of how to adapt sports for people with disabilities.
“Sometimes when we had PE, they said to go on the computer instead, but I just wanted to play.”
Green played mainstream football from an early age, but he felt the sport was not suitable for his disability, which affects the left side of his body.
This was until his parents found The Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation when he was seven. This allowed him to play football with other people with disabilities.
“Before I found disability football, I did not think I would be able to play football, but then my disability opened a door and allowed me to play football. That pathway allowed me to progress so much,” he says.
Green excelled as he represented Brighton’s cerebral palsy football team and even had a trial for the England talent pathway. With these honours already under his belt, Green once again utilised his disability by becoming a disability football coach with the foundation, who he still works for today.
His role includes raising awareness around disability football in schools. “I have the experience of having a disability and wanting to get involved in sport and I just want to help other people who might be in the same position.
“At 7 years old, I never thought I would be doing what I am now doing for a job now, so if I can help people and show sport is possible for people with disabilities then I am doing my job.”
A man of many talents
Even though Green is encouraging others to follow his footsteps, football was not the only sport he wanted to try and push the boundaries of.
Green can now, as previously mentioned, proudly say that he is an assistant player-coach for the Wales wheelchair rugby team, as well as a member of the GB talent programme and founder of Adaptive Boxing, which he hopes to get into the Paralympics in 2028.
“Even by finding disability football, that allowed me to push on in other sports that I never would have pushed myself to play and now I am boxing and playing rugby,” Green says.
Challenges but still hope
Although competing on the international stage, what barriers does Green still face despite his willingness to play?
“In the sport I play, there is not much opportunity to play near me so I have to travel so much further to play and the equipment costs much more.
“For example, for somebody to play standard rugby they need a pair of boots, a ball and a gum shield, whereas I need a £12,000 wheelchair and that’s another challenge.”
Despite this, Green keeps excelling and inspiring people with disabilities on and off the court.
“I think sport is important for anyone, regardless of whether they have a disability or not as there are the more obvious benefits like improving your physical and mental health,” he says.
“However, it is easy for people with a disability to not be included, so they do not have the opportunities mainstream people have.”
