Jayden Sigg is blind in one eye and has no central vision in the other but it doesn’t stop him having a kick for Albion’s under 10’s. 82763 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By LIAM TWOMEY
WHEN it comes to football Jayden Sigg has two favourite things. Naturally, one of them is
playing in the mud.
“You get to get out there and kick the football and you get to get dirty,” the nine-year-old
said.
Every Sunday morning Jayden puts on his Albion jumper and runs out with his teammates in
the Western Region Football League under 10’s.
The only difference for Jayden is that he can barely see.
The St Albans resident plays with impaired vision. He is completely blind in one eye and has
no central vision in the other.
But that doesn’t stop him from getting a kick.
The young sports nut just can’t get enough of it, according to his mother Missi Brown.
“Whether it’s football or cricket or just whatever is on TV he is always watching sport, she
said.
“He started with Auskick and has just kept going from there.”
Of course life on the football field with impaired vision is no walk in the park. Jayden and his
teammates had to adapt but apart from a slight rule change he is just one of the gang when he
crosses the white line.
“At first it took some getting used to for the other kids because I don’t think they realised,”
Ms Brown said.
“They were getting a bit upset that they were losing and that Jayden wasn’t seeing the ball
coming.
“Now that they realise they know to call his name out and they really work with him.
“The only rule they have for him separately is that he can’t be tackled. Everything else is
exactly the same as all the other boys.”
Ms Brown credited the Albion coaches and off-field staff and Jayden’s visual aide Emily
White for making it possible for him to play.
“Emily has been absolutely magnificent with Jayden. She sees quite a few kids in the western
suburbs with visual issues and she is just fantastic and helps him out enormously.”
With his 10th birthday just a few months away, this will be Jayden’s last season of football
unless he can get a special clearance from the league to play as an overage player.
“Next year we don’t think he will be able to go up to the under 12’s,” Ms Brown said.
“We have explained to him that is it because of his vision and the football gets a bit more
serious at that age group.”
Western Region Football League CEO Bob Tregear said the league had made allowances in
the past for cases like Jayden’s.
“We do like to encourage all kids to stay involved,” he said.
“We look at each case and we do occasionally allow kids to play beneath their own age level
if the circumstances warrant it.”
If Jayden isn’t allowed to play on next season, that won’t stop him from joining his mates at
the football.
He has already been offered a role as assistant coach in the under 12’s by Albion.
Ms Brown said she would like to see more sporting opportunities made available for vision-
impaired kids who live in the western suburbs.
“There is nothing he can join in until he is 16.
“It would be great to get enough kids involved that we could pick a sport and set it up over
here to give kids in the West that opportunity.”
