Supported mobility helps football coaching student overcome barriers and gain confidence abroad
In April 2025, Paige, who was studying Football Coaching and Performance Level 3 at Gower College, was given the opportunity to go to Italy on a football and coaching learning exchange.
The trip really pushed Paige out of her comfort zone. As well as being one of the few female students on the mobility, Paige is deaf, and wears cochlear implants. After finishing her course she hopes to become involved in coaching football for deaf children. To ensure Paige felt fully supported on this mobility, Taith funded her personal support worker to accompany her.
Here, Paige tells us about her experience.
I had my cochlear implants when I was 3½, and I was the first child to have bilateral implants in Bridgend hospital. When I started school, I was wearing a bandage around my head!
I started in a unit for the deaf, and when I was in Year 3 or 4, I moved into mainstream school. I have always loved football, so my aim was to do the Football Coaching and Performance course.
Through funding from Taith, I was able to take part in a mobility to Italy, which included football training, playing matches against local Italian teams, learning some of the language and culture, and coaching younger players in football skills. Part of it is to stretch students, and I wanted to challenge myself because I hadn’t been on a plane since I was 6, and it was the first time I’d been abroad without my family.
I hoped to gain confidence, get to know my fellow students, and broaden my experience.
I was able to take part in lots of different activities while I was away. I played football against local teams, experienced an Olympic-sized pool at the hotel, tried beach volleyball for the first time, and even got to watch Verona v AC Milan.
I tried to learn some Italian while I was there, but I found it difficult. Even when they spoke English, it was sometimes hard for me to understand their accent.
I was very nervous, but because I’ve always been deaf, it’s what I’m used to, so I can’t say it really affected my expectations. I was mainly nervous about going through airport security because of my cochlear implants, but Julia, my personal support worker, came with me, which reassured me.
It was very important for me, especially at night, because I knew she could sign and alert me if there was a problem.
For example, when we had a thunderstorm and we were outside, she told me to take off my cochlears because of the danger, but we could still communicate through signing, so I didn’t feel alone.
Julia supported me all the time but also gave me the freedom to mix with the other students. This really helped me develop my confidence socially.
I faced a few challenges, including at the airport and when we landed. I felt quite anxious, but with reassurance I got through it and overcame my fears.
At the hotel and in a completely new environment, I felt nervous at first, but I grew in confidence. Eventually I felt comfortable enough to go into the swimming pool, even though I had to take my cochlears off. Julia stayed by the side of the pool, so I knew I could still communicate.
I’ve grown in confidence a lot and mix more with the other students now, which makes college much more enjoyable for me.
I’m also now volunteering by running a coaching session on Tuesday lunchtimes with ILS students at college. It was my idea to do this, and I wouldn’t have done it before. I love it.
For any students who may feel they have barriers stopping them from taking part in a visit like this, I would say just go for it. My experience was brilliant.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to develop my confidence and gain this experience.
