Lucindha Lawson: England’s first South Asian Lioness
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Miriam Walker-Khan and Nailah Gajia sat down with Brown Girl Sport and the first South Asian Lioness, Lucindha Lawson to speak about life as a deaf, British South Asian footballer.
‘I found a second family growing up’
Lawson first found her calling at a deaf school while navigating the challenges of the foster care system.
“I often played football in a deaf school. I don't think they really take care of many other sports, but football was a big thing. I'd play every day, Monday to Friday, at lunchtime after school, and I didn't find it boring,” Lawson told Brown Girl Sport.
“That's where I grew my love for the sport. Growing up in foster care, I went through a bit of a disconnect. So, my team became my second family.
“Foster care growing up wasn't awful - I didn't have any bad experiences. I was confused because I moved from different families and didn’t have communication with my carers. Not a single one of them knew how to sign, so I’d have to do lots of gesturing,” she said.
“I preferred it when I was at school because everyone could communicate in my language. We all signed. I felt comfortable, and playing football helped me forget all my problems.
“Towards the end, around the age of 18 a social worker came and found a carer who could sign, but there was only one in the whole of the UK, and they were based in Brighton. I had to move out of London, and it was a big change for me.”
Lawson joined football’s para talent pathway through information shared within the deaf community, which provided much-needed access and support.
“10 years ago, there was very little information out there. Luckily, through the Deaf England community, we had the information passed through,” she said.
Lawson recently represented Great Britain at the Deaflympics, which she could only compete at after raising money to get there through crowd-funding.
“I was a little bit disappointed because we didn't get the funding and support, which affected training. We had QR codes [on our phones] and had to convince people to sign up. If we hadn’t raised that money, I would’ve had to pay out of my own pocket,” Lawson said.
“It’s so unfair. I really felt like I was at such a disadvantage. At the Olympics and Paralympics, they get full funding - £600 million! We just get pushed to the wayside.
“There’s no deaf football at the Paralympics. The reason is that we don’t fit the criteria, so we had to create our own Deaflympics. I don’t know what else it could be. We used to have badminton, table tennis, and basketball…but a lot of the institutions are closing down because they can’t take it to a professional level without funding.”
'I didn’t have any role models, so I became one'
Lawson has always been passionate about talking on the importance of being vocal as a deaf woman from the British South Asian community, and says her younger self would have loved Brown Girl Sport.
“It's really nice to be an ambassador [for Brown Girl Sport]. I find it quite inspiring. When I started sports, I didn't have anyone to look up to, and I feel like it's nice now to have someone who’s looking out for people like me,” Lawson said.
“Of course, being a deaf woman from the South Asian community, those intersections make it even harder to find people like myself. Growing up, I didn't have any role models, so I've really advocated to be that for myself, to know my self-identity, so I can influence others. That’s something that I cherish and hold dearly.”
As well as making history when she became the first South Asian Lioness, Lawson also stared in the 2025 England Nike kit launch alongside Lionesses Ella Toone and Lucy Bronze.
"There were three deaf ladies and myself - we had the team standing there, and I was right next to Lucy Bronze. I was surprised they picked the picture I was in," Lawson said.
"They could’ve picked any others. It was very special for the FA to choose that particular photo because I’m a South Asian woman and deaf. Being there, knowing I was representing two communities at once, felt really good. It was a big honour."
When asked what her voice meant to her, Lawson had this to say:
“I think it's really important to always raise our voice so we can have people to look up to. We can do anything. We've got to keep going and keep our voice alive. When I was playing football around 16 years ago, there was an England GB captain, Damaris Cooke. Back in 2015, I was really upset, and she was reassuring me, telling me to keep going and that my time would come. I’m glad I listened to her words and carried on. I hope that this will be reassuring for anyone else who needs it”.
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