Sam Evans, captain of the Welsh Deaf football team, is having a memorable season.
Evans recently traveled to Greece to compete in the Deaf Champions League with London-based St John’s Deaf FC, where they finished fourth.
The hearing team he plays for, Afan United, won the West Division 1 of the South Wales Alliance League.
He will now represent Wales at the 2024 European Deaf Football Championship, which will be held in Turkey.
Wales open the season against England on Monday 20th May, followed by Group B games against Scotland, Germany and Greece.
Football has always been important to Evans, but the sport is very important to him.
Ten years ago, Evans was at a particularly low point in her life, as her glory as a reality TV winner wore off.
It was soccer that saved him.
In 2013, then 23-year-old Evans, who was born with 30 per cent normal hearing, was chosen to compete on the 14th series of Big Brother.
“I remember the day we went into the game like it was yesterday. It was probably 10 times more nerve-wracking than any other experience,” Evans said.
“As time went on and the group got smaller and I was able to be myself a little more, I started coming out of my shell.”
67 days after Evans entered the Big Brother house, series presenter Emma Willis announced he was the winner.
“I was walking around feeling a little overwhelmed. I had no idea how to act. I think I was a little in awe,” Evans said.
Within 10 weeks, Evans went from being a department store inventory assistant to one of Britain’s most recognizable faces.
“It was crazy. I realized what it’s like to be a celebrity,” he said.
“A night out was like, ‘Wow!’ and people always wanted to talk to you and take pictures.
“I can’t make time for myself. When I walk down the street, in the store, in the garage, people approach me.
“Then you get emails from TV production companies asking you to do this or that, interviews, etc.
“I try to do something new every day, travel around the UK and do different things, but after about a year I started noticing that I was getting fewer and fewer emails.
“People don’t get too close to you. They recognize you, but they don’t make much of a fuss.
“After Big Brother, when the celebrity aftermath started to fade, it felt like nothing was ever enough.
“I felt like nothing could compare to the experience I had just had at home and outside.
“I also felt judged and compared to reality stars who continued to work on popular television, and I was asked why I wasn’t on the show.
“I felt like I was expected to live a rich and luxurious lifestyle when in reality I had to go back to work.
“That’s when I…started to focus more on Welsh Futsal and English Defensive football. When I played football again, I realized again who my real friends were and who was real and who wasn’t. It opened my eyes to.
“Football made me forget about the difficulties I was going through. It helped me get my fitness back on track and correct my mental health.”
Over the past 15 months, Evans has been on a new journey as the Wales Deaf Football Association (WDFA) fielded an 11-a-side team for the first time since the late 1990s and he was selected.
Due to the quality of players the WDFA were able to recruit, Evans will represent Wales at the Eurodef Championship, with Evans serving as captain.
“It’s a huge achievement for me to be captain of Wales. It’s a reminder of how far I’ve come after everything I’ve been through,” he said.
“We’re going to give 110 per cent. I think it’s just the Welsh blood in us and we’re very passionate.
“We are a very close-knit team, we are like a family, and I believe that will help us a lot when we go to Turkey.”
Wales Group B fixtures
Monday 20th May – Wales vs England 15:00 BST
Wednesday 22nd May – Scotland v Wales 08:30 BST
Thursday 23rd May – Germany vs Wales 15:00 BST
Friday 25th May – Wales vs Greece 08:30 BST
BBC Action Line has links to organizations that can provide support and advice about mental health.
You can also visit bbc.co.uk/mentalwellbeing for stories, information, inspiration and tips.
