A dad who lost his left leg in a motorbike accident is now set to play in a football World Cup after he was scouted over TikTok.
Liam Burbridge began posting clips of himself playing in his garden during the pandemic, catching the attention of fellow amputee footballer Jamie Oakey. Oakey got in touch with the now 29-year-old and today, 18 months later, both are set to represent the England side as it begins its amputee football World Cup campaign.
Burbridge and Oakey are two of SIX Everton players who are part of the 14-strong squad that kicks off its tournament against the USA on Saturday before games against Indonesia and Argentina. Hosts Turkey launched the tournament on Friday with a 3-0 win over France.
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The World Cup will be the first tournament Burbridge is involved with since he became part of Everton in the Community's programme last year. That came about after Blues - and now national - teammate Oakey caught glimpses of his potential on social media.
Burbridge, from St Helens, told the ECHO: "I was posting on TikTok just playing football in my back garden using my prosthetic and Jamie Oakey came across my social media. He just reached out and sent me a message and said: 'Why don't you come down to Everton and try amputee football?'"
The striker agreed - marking his return to playing football for the first time since the motorbike incident in 2013. After eight years away from any form of organised sport, this was a bold move. He said: "It was really quite daunting because I lost my leg when I was 20-years-old. So from a very young age to 20 I played football and I was always in a sporting environment, but for that eight years I had no involvement in sport apart from watching it on TV. It was a bit daunting coming back into a sporting environment where everyone was already involved because I was learning from new again - because the last time I played football I had two legs, so I had to learn again, including how to play on crutches. I had missed it. I feel like playing brought back something that was missing."
Burbridge has gone from strength to strength since making that brave move to try out amputee football - though he is aware he is still at an early stage in his progression. He said: "The hardest part for me was learning to play on crutches. I have always considered myself quite lucky because I was right footed anyway and it is my right foot that I kept, so kicking the ball, my first touch and things like that I picked up quite quickly. It was just the upper body strength and movement on the crutches that was the issue. I am still on that learning curve - this is my first tournament so I still consider that I have got a lot to learn and I am determined to do so."
Not only has it helped him physically, his return to the game he loves through Everton in the Community's work has been a significant psychological boost. He added: "Amputee football was great for me not only from a football and a sports point of view but also from a mental point of view as well, because I don't usually come across many amputees in my daily life. Being able to be with other amputees was a massive part of having a good mental state. Once I found out about amputee football and there was a progression to play for England I just had to try. I only started it later in my life - I know I am not old, but it is later for an athlete - so I didn't want to look back in 10 or 15 years and think: 'I wish I had tried that.'"
Now, the maintenance worker is set to be involved in a World Cup that will be held at host stadiums that include the homes of Turkish giants Galatasary, Fenerbahce and Besiktas. The tournament is expected to draw big crowds - when England lost in the European Championships final to Turkey back in 2017, 42,000 supporters were in attendance. Burbridge, who with Oakey met Frank Lampard, Conor Coady and Jordan Pickford before Everton's game with West Ham United, was almost in tears when he got the video call informing him he was part of the World Cup squad along with Oakey and other Blues teammates Martin Heald, Sean Jackson, Rhyce Ramsden, and England captain David Tweed.
The striker, who also operates down the right as the seven-a-side game demands tactical flexibility, said: "It feels amazing because it's something I have wanted to do for a long time. I had my heart set on playing for England when I first found out about amputee football, so I am buzzing to be selected for my first major tournament."
Now he is on the brink of achieving his ambition he is hopeful he can inspire others too: "I feel like you don't always just get one chance, opportunities come when you least expect them. I wouldn't want to look back years later and think: 'I wish I had tried that.' That is what I would say to anyone who is thinking of getting involved. If you have got anything you want to try or do, just do it, because if you are not doing it already you have nothing lose by trying."
While Burbridge is making his big-tournament debut he and his other Blues are able to draw on the wisdom of Everton in the Community Disability Manager and England Amputee Football Association (EAFA) chairperson Steve Johnson. Johnson, a three-time World Cup-winning amputee footballer who has worked with Everton for more than two decades, oversees 11 disability teams at Everton. Proud of his players' international selection and excited to watch them play, he said: "When I lost my leg following a football accident I went from playing whenever I wanted to, to there being no opportunities for me. It was something I wanted to change. A lot of these players are at the start of their journeys but the opportunities now are unbelievable... It's great how we [Everton] progress over the years and just get bigger and better."
*The EAFA operates as a charity and, while England’s players will be supported with one of Europe’s leading coaching and support set-ups, they have had to fundraise to cover the cost of their travel to Turkey and are still encouraging people to contribute via a Go Fund Me page, available here.
You can also support Liam's fundraising effort here. For more on Everton in the Community’s disability programme, click here.
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