Once a keen footballer, David Gill was diagnosed with chronic Achilles tendonitis and is now reliant on a wheelchair to get himself around. Admitting there were days “when I didn’t want to live”, playing wheelchair rugby for Hull FC has given him a new lease of life.
David played both football and rugby, among other sports, as an active child growing up in Kingston upon Hull. Aged 13, he ruptured both Achilles’ tendons and the problems only continued from there until receiving treatment for muscle weakness, caused by chronic Achilles tendonitis, at 21 years. By then “it was too late”, as David told Fen Regis Trophies.
“It was a nightmare,” he said about adjusting to relying on mobility aids such as his wheelchair. “I was devasted.
“I had a few trials for a few different football teams…I was good at that and then when I had to go into the wheelchair it was devastating.
“I will be honest, for months I just didn’t do anything. I would stay in bed and didn’t want to get up. There were days when I didn’t want to live.”
“A New Lease of Life”
Naturally sporty, and a huge fan of local rugby league side Hull Kingston Rovers, David soon discovered disability sports, first playing darts before his personal trainer set him on an unlikely path with local rivals Hull FC.
“She (the personal trainer) was a Hull FC fan,” he said. “She had seen the wheelchair team…and she put me on to them.
“I contacted the club and I’ve never looked back since.”
Six years later and David is still playing in the colours of Hull FC, even with his affection for their local rivals. He enjoys the banter with his teammates – especially when the two sides clash.
“I love it! If Rovers win, I’m the only Rovers fan and the rest are all quiet. If FC win then I just go with earplugs in!”
David added: “I definitely credit disability sport for giving me a new lease of life.”
Inspiration
Despite his affinity to both of Hull’s clubs, it is an ex-Leeds Rhinos player that David draws inspiration from in Rob Burrow. The 15-times capped England scrum-half retired in 2017 and revealed in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Burrow now gets around in a wheelchair, the same as David, and speaks using the aid of a machine but continues to raise awareness of the neurodegenerative disease. It is for this reason that David holds Burrow in such high regard, following the example set by the eight-time Super League champion.
“I’ve followed him through his career,” David said of Burrow. “Since he’s had [MND], he’s definitely been a big inspiration as he’s carried on doing things, such as charity stuff and all that.
“With my disabilities, I’m limited but I always say there’s someone worse off than me. There have been quite a few players who have inspired me, but Rob Burrow has been one as he’s carrying on despite his illness.
“When I have a bad day and I think I can’t be doing this anymore, it’s when you see people like…so you think you can do it.
An Inclusive Sport
Wheelchair rugby is, as the name suggests, played in wheelchairs – but having a disability is not a prerequisite to play. It is an inclusive sport with five players on each team, at least three of which must have a qualifying disability, along with a maximum of two able-bodied players.
Games are 80 minutes long and played on an indoor hardwood court measuring 28m x 15m – the same as a regulation basketball court – which can be hugely taxing, as David knows all too well, especially when teams are unable to make substitutions through lack of available players.
“We are about average in the table and, at the minute, we have three disabled players so all those three have to play the 80 minutes (to adhere to the laws of the game), he said.
“We (disabled players) can’t be subbed, and it is really demanding…especially if you get a little kick over the top.”
The club finds no difficulty in introducing the game to newcomers, disabled or otherwise, with many that are able-bodied discovering a passion for the game through close disabled friends and family, including the son of first-team coach Mike Swainger.
“In the first team, our coach is an amputee with one arm and one leg, and his able-bodied son plays,” said David. “It’s great that you have that father-son thing.
“We have a development team that will play friendlies. We’ve got a family that comes with a lady that has disabilities, but her two kids haven’t, and they play.
“We have a little lad who is about 10 years old, he’s an amputee and he plays. His dad plays as well.”
He added: “Over the years, two or three of the [able-bodied] lads got started by coming down to watch and saying they wish they could play…and they can.”
Wheelchair Super League
Hull FC play in the Wheelchair Super League, the highest level in the country, having been promoted in 2019 going up as champions in the same season as reaching the Challenge Trophy final. David says that as a team, it is undoubtedly their biggest achievement since he began playing.
On a personal level, he says that his best achievement has come this season in scoring his first tries at Super League level.
“I’ve been working really hard this year,” he asserted. “I managed to get my first try (in the Super League) and it was so special. Everyone was so happy for me.”
Aged 34, David does not see himself stopping any time soon, insisting that he has another five to 10 years left playing Wheelchair Super League rugby, adding he will continue to play the game at any level until he physically can no longer.
“I will play for as long as I possibly can. Probably, at Super League, I’ve got another five to 10 years but then I will go down to the development squad. In some of the teams, there are people in their 50s playing still.
“For as long as I’m still physically able to play, whether that be Super League or development, I will continue to play because I really love it.”
