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Sacha Bowman's dream was always to play for England and this Autumn she will be - in the first-ever Women’s Amputee World Cup in Columbia
When Sacha Bowman was a child she was conscious of the fact that she stood out. “It was a bit of a difficult experience, being mixed race and having a disability,” says the 23-year-old who was raised in a predominantly white area of Lancaster. “I had basically no one to look up to. It was very hard.”
Sacha has a limb disability in both her arms but thankfully she has not let this stop her from playing football for England - and is preparing for first-ever Women’s Amputee World Cup held this Autumn in Columbia. “From primary school my dream was just to play for England,” explains Sacha, who was born without radius bones in her arms, which means her arms are shorter and of different lengths. “So now to actually be able to do that is so nice. I'm so excited. It's only six months away now so we're doing a lot of preparing.”
The talented Lioness is playing goalkeeper at the international tournament, whereas the outfield players have leg amputation or leg disabilities. Sacha has always played with able-bodied teammates so this Lioness team is a new experience. “When I am playing at uni it is a bit difficult because I feel like all eyes are on me and if I make a mistake it is because I have a disability,” she says. “But obviously, when I am playing in the England team everyone's the same so if I make a mistake, that's okay. I can just get up and try again.”
Sacha, who works as a kids football coach in Manchester, has been passionate about the game since as far back as she can remember. “Growing up, I've always played football. I just used to play with the other kids on the street. We had just a football and we’d use anything as goal posts,” she explains. “When I was on the pitch, it didn't matter about my disability at all or that I was a girl. I was just playing football and I was just having fun.”
Playing with the boys as part of her primary school team, she had a ball. But, at high school, where there was no girls’ team, her confidence seeped away. “I distanced myself from everybody else, because it was obviously apparent that I was different. It was hard trying to fit in. I was very quiet in high school,” she says. But once at university in Manchester studying business Sacha started playing football again, before getting the call up for England last year.
In order to raise funds for travelling to Columbia to compete Sacha has started a Go-Fund Me and she is also hoping her mum, Michelle, 46, will be able to watch her play on the global stage. “I really want my mum to come and watch because obviously, since I was younger, she's been the one really supporting me, like taking me to games, buying me football boots and everything,” she says. “I think my mum kind of knew that it would be hard for me to kind of reach my dream. But for her to see that it's possible she is very happy.”
Sacha cites former England footballer Alex Scott, 39, as a great inspiration to her. She says, “She is mixed race as well and watching her play for England inspired me because it meant that I was seeing someone like me, who I could look up to and who has been there and done that. She is definitely a pillar for me.”
Sacha’s inspirational story has been acknowledged by an initiative called WeSeeYouNetwork, run by Three UK in partnership with Chelsea FC, which recognises women like Sacha, who it sees as lynchpins of their sporting communities, as it aims to bring together a sporting community of women and connect them with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. .
And it’s Sacha’s aim to encourage other people like her to follow their dreams. She says: “That's what I'm striving to do now, because I know how difficult it can be to have no one to look up to or guide you and you can just go down the wrong path. If someone is able to look at my experience and see similarities in themselves it will make me really happy.”
And are the women going to be bringing home a trophy in November? “Absolutely yes,” she says. “Football is coming home!”
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