FEATURE: NEURODIVERSITY IN FOOTBALL
Updated: May 2, 2025
In recent years, attitudes toward neurodiversity have shifted significantly.
Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X have amplified conversations, with users raising awareness.
Research suggests that 25% of the global population is neurodivergent.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) surveyed over 700 players, assessing the prevalence of neurodiversity in football.
The survey revealed that 60% of players had not disclosed their condition to their team or club. Only 5% had been formally diagnosed, while 25% reported exhibiting neurodiverse traits.
The PFA hopes the study will foster greater understanding and dialogue regarding neurodiversity.
The Role of Neurodiversity in Football
The women’s game is often seen as the more inclusive side of football. However, neurodivergent players remain rare, with only a few publicly sharing their experiences in the professional game.
In 2023, Manchester United’s Safia Middleton-Patel posted a photo on Instagram showing herself holding football boots with a puzzle piece heart — a symbol often linked to the destigmatisation of autism.
Lioness Lucy Bronze also shared that being diagnosed with autism and ADHD had helped her become a better player.
Bronze serves as an ambassador for the National Autistic Society, hoping to raise awareness and eliminate stigma surrounding the condition.
Though football is seen as universal, it has long excluded those outside the white, cisgender, neurotypical norm.
Player testimonies reveal a lack of adequate support within the sport’s structure, which urgently needs to change. It’s disheartening to think how many players fell out of love with the game because their needs weren’t accommodated.
Talented individuals may be overlooked simply because their minds work differently, while others hide their true selves, fearing they don't fit the "ideal" footballer image.
Clubs aren’t solely to blame; fans also discourage players from sharing diagnoses, reinforcing the idea that neurodivergent individuals don’t belong in football.
A clip of Aaron Ramsdale from the Premier League’s Behind the Game series resurfaces online, with fans speculating that he has ADHD, questioning his place at the top level.
This raises an important question:
How can players with neurodiverse conditions feel safe sharing their experiences when even small admissions are met with negativity?
A Space For Neurodiversity?
Football is not yet a safe space for neurodivergent players, but it can be.
Organisations and grassroots initiatives, like Team United in Scotland, are working to break barriers and create environments where neurodivergent individuals can thrive in sport.
While efforts to make football more inclusive are growing, recognition within the English football pyramid remains limited.
Encouraging open dialogue and fostering environments that support the destigmatisation of neurodiversity is essential.
Change takes time, but action is needed to make football truly inclusive.
Nerea Fernandes
Writer
Her Football Sphere
Word count: 436
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