‘For the first time in my life, it was a level playing field’ – Immensely entertaining amputee soccer, with 51 member nations, offers new pathways into the beautiful game

Amie Donathan was a pretty good golfer in her mid-teens. That was, in fact, her plan – the sport she would stick with. The Texas native had tried sports here and there, but she determined that golf was the one for her. 

But a soccer coach found Donathan’s information on a hospital post. There was Donathan, wearing a soccer kit, playing on a prosthetic leg. The coach had no idea how to find her. He ended up reaching out via social media, asking Donathan if she wanted to play soccer. 

It’s worth pointing out that Donathan has Proximal femoral focal deficiency. She was born without a left femur or left hip. For much of her life, she used a prosthetic leg to play sports. But when a coach reached out, and explained that she could play on crutches, without a prosthetic, Donathan was curious. 

“My mom thought it was a little bit creepy, obviously, at first, but we showed up,” Donathan said. “And that’s how my amputee soccer journey started.” 

And with that, she immersed herself in a soccer subculture of sorts. There are myriad barriers to playing the game: race, socioeconomic status, gender tend to be the obvious ones. But what if you’re an athlete with a disability? Well, amputee soccer has an answer, and it’s only becoming more pronounced. 

“Soccer is my first love. So I was playing golf, and I really enjoyed it, and I was good at it, but I’ve always wanted to play soccer,” Donathan said. “So having an opportunity to continue to play the sport that’s like, what I really love doing motivated me.”