A Young man with autism who lived for the weekend so he could attend live matches was devastated when the Pandemic made it impossible to go
Dan Crossfield, 25, from Wakefield, decided to use lockdown to try and make sport more accessible for himself and others despite a challenging climate
Dan, who lives with Autism, decided to use his passion for football and rugby to start his own blog to keep himself and other people in isolation connected with latest sports news
He has used his time during the pandemic to learn new social media skills including blogging and vlogging which has now inspired him to create a website for everyone to access sport regardless of barriers
Most sporting fans live for their teams and when the pandemic hit, it was a huge blow to those who ‘live for the game,’ especially when it is a coping mechanism for many, such as one young man who lives with Autism.
Dan Crossfield, 25, who lives in Wakefield with his parents, is a dedicated spectator of football matches, rugby games, darts & snooker tournaments, was shocked when the news first broke that he could no longer attend sporting events.
Dan, who is a big fan of Leeds United and Featherstone Rovers said that he was “devastated” at the news that games would stop and fans could no longer attend the grounds.
But instead of waiting for a “new normal,” Dan has started using his knowledge of sports to write online, make videos and learn new social media skills as well as attending commentary workshops.
Dan said: “I was upset initially but I knew I had to get used to the big change in my sporting and social calendar.
“However, I have been learning social media from a coach remotely through Skype and taken part in a free commentating workshop.”
Dan who has regular online social media training with The Sparkle Coach, started learning skills to blog, vlog and create content online. This culminated in him becoming the accessibility reporter for https://www.yorkshirefamilies.co.uk which he hopes to do more of with a look at sporting stadiums and their accessibility once things return to some normality.
Dan also took part in a free workshop with BBC Radio Leeds to learn the art of sports journalism and some tips on how to do commentating.
He has since been practicing and honing his skills to be supported by his family and coach to start his own sports blog, will full match reports and his view on the games.
Dan said: “I love writing my sports blogs and especially when my team wins, the words come naturally.
“It’s nice to be utilising my skills, knowledge and passion for sport into a website and content I can create to share with other fans, especially people who often are isolated but want to stay connected with the game.”
Dan’s big future goal would be to have other people like himself who are on the Autistic Spectrum with a passion for sports from other areas of the UK, to write and contribute their own Local Team Reports and to have them uploaded to Dan’s Blog so that it could go Nationwide and benefit a lot more people
Dan now has his own sports blog called ‘Dan’s Sports Blog’ which can be found at danssportsblogweb.wordpress.com or on facebook.com/danssportsblog
He also writes for https://www.yorkshirefamilies.co.uk and his family run Normanton-based printing company https://go2print.business.site
For more information, contact [email protected]
