Upon meeting Irons, twenty-seven, at his Bedfordshire home, we swiftly take to the living room. The outstanding feature is a freshly installed glass cabinet containing a commemorative England cap, boots from the Paralympics, and match worn shirts from the World Championships. It is next to this collection of memorabilia that we sit to discuss football, family, and living with disability.
Irons, who works as a golf club greenkeeper, now plays for Tring Athletic in the Spartan South Midlands League. Although it was shortly after a Sunday League game with Saints FC that he first heard about CP Football while shaking hands with the opposition manager; a fellow sufferer of Cerebral palsy. "I can never remember the guy's name. I would love to thank him. We've played that team a couple of times but I haven't seen him since. He came up to me and said 'You're a good player. You should try to get in touch with someone about playing for England.' I didn't even know there was a team to contact."
It was a fortuitous afternoon for the Dunstable-born left-back. After exchanging emails with Team GB and England manager Jeff Davis, Irons was invited to trial at St.George's Park. It was another surprising experience, but one which left him inflamed with ideas of competing in Brazil. "I went up there thinking it was going to be a lot slower, but I was blown away by the standard. It's massively different to eleven-aside football. It's like a game of chess. You move one step out of place and the opposition will score. They got me a coach for the two months leading up to the games. My attitude towards football and strength & conditioning just completely changed."
"Walking out for the first game was surreal. I had never played in front of 200 people, let alone the 10,000 who were there for the Brazil game. It felt horrible to lose, but the whole experience was just amazing. To have a massive crowd, well, booing us they were, is what you dream of" (laughter). It's difficult to put into words."
Irons' elite mentality and desire to improve are evident when contemplating his proudest moment so far. After briefly looking at the cabinet he says "Playing for England. But that game against Russia (a 2-0 defeat in the third place play-off at the World championships). Even though we lost in Argentina, they scored two goals in the last minute of extra-time. We were a minute away from going to penalties. Going from the pre-tournament game against Russia, losing 7-0, and touching the ball I think only three times, to almost taking them to penalties, it shows me, and the team, how far we've come."
Irons classifies to play CP football as a hemiplegic; suffering with the condition on the right side of his body. However, the football field hasn't always been a place of refuge. He has encountered discrimination from an early age. "The amount of times I've been called a spastic in football is unbelievable. It used to happen almost every game. I've even got used to it now and it doesn't really bother me. The amount of times I got sent off for walloping someone after they'd called me a spastic, I think it happened about ten times when I was fourteen or fifteen."
"It still happens a lot now. The only thing now is I don't let it wind me up. It used to wind me up when I was younger because I didn't want anyone to know about my disability. I wanted to be a normal kid and live life without disability, but ever since playing football for England I've embraced it. Back then I just wanted to play football, go home, and not get called a spastic."
"I've very rarely been called that outside of football, but in football it seems to just happen. The amount of times referees have done nothing is frustrating. If they were to say something about someone being black they would get sent off straight away. It's just another form of discrimination" Irons says.
It is with a strong and nurturing family network that Irons has been able to prosper. Each member has influenced his positive outlook. "When I was born they didn't diagnose me straight away. My mum told me that I first started to crawl around on three limbs; using my knees and one arm. She's always been massively supportive of me. She got me involved with everything I could be. She'd take me to the hospital once every month to do exercises. She got me a laptop and a clip-on tie for school but I was stubborn about not having them."
"My Dad was inspiring in a completely different way. If I had a crap game he'd tell me about it, which is what I wanted. I would listen to his advice. My granddad as well, he used to take me to all of my games. He would get me in the garden improving my throw-ins with my weak hand and playing with my right foot. I was quite lucky at school to have two older brothers. Jamie, Kenny, and their mates used to look after me. So I was okay with the bullying side of things" Irons says.
The fraternal bond between team-mates has also given Irons perspective. He seems to have an infectious enthusiasm for the game. "Jim (Blackwell) has an amazing story. I don't think he told his wife he had CP until they got married. I think they'd known each other for four years before as well! I think we're all very similar. We just get on with it."
"Before Rio we all sat in a room with a sports psychologist. It got quite emotional. Our keeper Ryan Kay, (one of the most affected players) he used to get bullied most days at school and didn't want to leave the house. Jack Rutter too, he was about to be awarded a pro contract at Birmingham before someone assaulted him on a night out and took his career away from him; the thing he loved away from him. I felt quite lucky in a way, but the honesty really brought us all together."
In every sport moments of opportunity can be fleeting. Inevitably Irons has some regrets. They include his role in conceding a penalty while playing for Team GB against Ukraine at the Paralympics, as well as his sending off during the 5th place play-off victory against Argentina; an indiscretion which caused him to miss the first two group games of the 2017 World Championships. However, his deepest regret highlights the value of sport and CP Football.
"My only real regret is that I didn't get involved way earlier. We've got a player called Barks (Michael Barker) who has been involved since he was eighteen. He's been to three Paralympics, travelled the world, and played football all his life. That's why I'm always in the gym so I'm the best I can be. If I can play for an extra two years because I've got to sit up every other night foam rolling, look after myself, and eat well I'm going to do it."
When considering the impact CP Football has had on his life and the lives of others, Irons states "If I have the disability and don't know there is an England CP football team not a lot of people will. The FA have got much better. We never used to be involved in anything. We were recently invited to the England kit launch. We're now seen as part of the England team; an elite squad. As are the Under-21s, the Blind team, and the Women's team."
"Our motto is 'Inspire The Next Generation', that's all we want to do. So the next load of people like me who are embarrassed to have CP can embrace it and still play football, because there are a lot of kids out there occasionally playing mainstream football when they could travel the world. The sport is too hidden for my liking."
The rules of CP Football are intriguing. The pitch is smaller, there is no offside rule, and throw-ins are taken by rolling the ball underarm. More complicated are the ever-changing classification regulations. In a recent meeting a panel decreed that players with some neurological disorders would no longer be eligible to compete. Jack Rutter, a player Irons refers to as "The CP saviour" is one of them. Amid the chaos, Irons looks forward to the July European Championships in the Netherlands.
"Before classification I said we could win that, because as a team we're peaking. But with the new rules we don't know what the teams will be. Welcome to CP Football." Irons does find a silver lining though. "I've been to two amazing countries, but they've been on the other side of the world. I'm excited for my family to be there this time. It will be nice to look in the stands and see some extra motivation." With skill, determination, and such a refreshing attitude Liam Irons can achieve great things, in Holland and beyond.
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