One of our youth team coaches Kevin Kyley recently represented England at the Transplant World Cup. We are all very proud of Kevin and wanted to share his remarkable story and proud honour at representing his country.
Kevin, congratulations on your involvement at the recent Transplant World Cup, can you give us some background on the tournament?
The tournament was held in Cervia, Bologna, Italy. There has been other football tournaments as part of the British, European and World Transplant games played in a short format over 1 day. This was the first dedicated Football World Cup and was played over a whole week. There has been quite a struggle for football to be allowed for transplant patients as some doctors believed that it was too dangerous but a lot of work has gone into getting it too this competitive stage.
Can you tell us about your personal story and how you got involved in the competition?
Following a football injury I was due to have an operation. During the pre op assessment stage it was found that my blood pressure was extremely high, unaware of this I was admitted to hospital straight away and after multiple tests it was found that I had acute kidney failure caused by a condition called Berger’s disease. I was told I would need a transplant as soon as possible. I was one of the more lucky ones as a kidney transplant can be given by a living donor. My Mum and Dad both wanted to donate so they were both tested and my Mum was found to be a slightly better match so the long process of tests and checks started. Unfortunately during this time my kidney function had become bad enough that I required dialysis 3 times a week, this was the hardest part of the whole experience. In February 2009 my Transplant was performed and has been a great success ever since. I’ve gone on to go back to work, get married, buy a house, have 2 children, be the coach for Windsor & Eton Falcons Blues U14s and now play Football for England! A big thanks to my Mum my family, my wife Rachel, son Oscar and daughter Florence for all their support!!
As a keen footballer before my kidney transplant, I was looking for a way to regain fitness after my recovery and my doctor got me involved in the Transplant games which didn’t include football to start with. After a couple of years pushing for its inclusion it was finally included as a friendly format and then eventually as a competitive tournament a couple of years later. I represented my hospital, Oxford, in multiple British Games, winning gold in 2023. Off the back of these tournaments I was selected to represent Great Britain at the European Games in 2022 winning Gold.
At the beginning of 2024 I was invited to trials to represent England at the World Cup, the first ever full format football transplant football tournament. I was delighted to be selected for the team.
How many countries were involved?
There were 11 countries involved. England, Wales, France, Romania, Ireland, USA, Spain, Chile, Australia, Northern Ireland and Italy.
How did the side get on?
We had only trained together as group twice before we flew out but we flew through the group stages winning all of our games and going through as group winners:
14-0 v Romania
3-1 v France
6-1 v USA
6-1 v Wales
2-0 v Ireland
This set us up a semi final tie v Spain: Despite taking the lead and dominating possession we conceded two late goals and were knocked out, typical England!
We went into the bronze medal match v France, and Spain went into the final v Chile.
We won the the game against France 4-1. Chile were the eventual champions beating Spain convincingly in the final.
Disappointed to have not reached the final but considering we were playing our first ever games together it was a great achievement to finish 3rd.
Although we were there to win the bigger message of organ donation and showcasing what can be achieved post transplant was the main reason everyone was there.
What was your most memorable moment and performance from the side?
On a personal level I finished the tournament with 7 goals and 8 assists which I was pleased with. The most memorable performance by the team was probably the Bronze medal game, after the disappointment of the semi final to re-group and get our morale back up and win the game was great.
The most memorable moments of the whole week was the support from the travelling family and friends and from back home watching the games streamed live.
What the most rewarding part of the experience?
I think the most rewarding part of the whole experience was just being there. For all the participants there was a time in our lives that we probably didn’t think we’d survive let alone play football again so to be on the pitch alongside my teammates, and opponents, representing my country was a real pinch me moment!! We wasn’t just representing ourselves we were representing our donors and their families too.
Will you be competing in future years?
I hope to, the standard of football at these tournaments is very high, the quality on show I think would surprise a lot of people. The England team has a lot of talent in it, but I’m confident I can be reselected for a few more tournaments at the least.
Aside from the World Cup, does the side compete in other competitions during the year?
With the great success and the media traction the tournament received the next World Cup has already been put into the planning stages for 2026 and we have a European Championship coming up in April to be held in Oxford.
If people are keen to donate for organ donation, where can they do so?
At the moment we don’t have a way to donate directly to the England Transplant Football team, a large part of the expenses for these tournaments are self funded by the players, we have Go fund me pages set up on the lead up to tournaments. We are always looking for sponsorship for kits, training wear etc. if anyone is interested.
People can donate to Make A Donation – Transplant Sport which supports all transplant sports.
The best thing that people can do is to sign up to be a organ donor without these donors none of this could be possible. Register your decision – NHS Organ Donation.
Almost 7,000 people are waiting for lifesaving transplants in the UK – the highest number in six years.
Each year, hundreds of opportunities for transplants are missed because families aren’t sure what to do. Your family will always be consulted about whether you wanted to be an organ donor or not, and clinicians will never proceed with organ donation if your family or loved ones object. Its important to have the conversation with your loved ones and make them aware of you’re wishes.
- One donor can save up to eight lives
- One eye and tissue donor can enhance the lives of as many as 50 people
- More than 28,000 lives are saved every year by organ donors
I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on anyone but in the same breath I feel extremely lucky to have been able to experience what I have, there are lots of people that time has run out for.
