Meet Courageous Use of Sport Award Winner Warren Clark
March 17, 2023
For the past six years, Beyond Sport and WWE have partnered to celebrate incredible young leaders who are overcoming personal hardships to positively impact their communities through sport. Today, meet 22-year-old Warren Clark, a 2022 recipient of the Courageous Use of Sport Award, presented by WWE.
"The most satisfying and rewarding aspect of my inclusive coaching is seeing people happy, having a good time and taking part in golf... There’s always going to be barriers and negative people but if you have a dream, just go for it and prove them wrong.”
Growing up, Warren didn't have the easiest childhood. His father was violent towards his mother, which forced her to flee with Warren to a women’s refuge where he began his life. At age nine, he was diagnosed with autism and other learning disabilities. Because of these perceived differences, Warren had to endure bullying, taunts and exclusion. However, despite his difficult situation, he channelled his energy toward empowering others with disabilities and advocating for inclusion from a young age.
When he was 10-years-old, Warren began volunteering at his local golf centre in Salisbury in the UK and discovered a love for the sport. Over the years, he turned his passion into success, representing Team Great Britain at the Special Olympic World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019 at just 17-years-old. He was the only British athlete selected to be an ambassador for the Games that year in recognition of his committment to golf and his unwavering determination to help people with disabilities. “It was incredible... Special Olympics is giving people like me, with autism or special needs, a chance to take on that Olympic role model purpose. I loved supporting the golf team and saying; come on guys, we can do this and we can achieve as much as we can.”
Now living in Southampton in the UK, Warren, who has ADHD, explains that sitting still in college or school wasn’t the right way to learn for him; spending long periods of time in nature playing golf was. And joining Special Olympics, the global organisation and movement to create a world of inclusion regardless of ability or disability, helped him build a community. “Hearing about Special Olympics and hearing stories from people like me has been inspirational and has shown me that we can always come together and play sports, despite everyone’s differences.”
Warren says that golf has improved his concentration, confidence and mental health as well as allowed him to create new friendships and gain new opportunities. He also shares that golf is the safest sport of them all because of the individual equipment required. During the pandemic, he could be play and still be safely distanced.
Warren finds enjoyment not only in participating in golf, but also in teaching the sport to young and older people and those with and without disabilities. As part of his mission to advocate for the sport and allow as many people to experience the benefits it can bring, he qualified as a PGA Level 1 and S.N.A.G (Starting New at Golf) coach. He has introduced golf to thousands of children and believes he is one of the only coaches in the world who specialises in working with people with back problems and hip and knee replacements. "There was one chap who I used to teach...when he was in his 60s who only had one leg. He used to have crutches, but I taught him how he should swing. I basically come along and assist as many people as I can."
When he was growing up, however, Warren was confronted with people saying that if you’re not a single figure or plus handicap you will never progress in the sport. These are the types of barriers that Warren wants to break. He was determined to widen access and inclusion for other disabled people and marginalised groups, which can often be expensive to try. As a result, he established his own charity in 2020. Warren Clark Golfing Dreams Limited intends to be the most inclusive centre possible with an open-door policy for everyone, from young people and people with disabilities to those from LGBTQ+ communities to experience physical activity and sport for free.
His charity, which receives funding from the National Lottery, is the only organisation in the UK providing free taster sessions in golf for disabled people and people with learning and development difficulties. He’s advocating for golf’s inclusive ability and explains that even people in wheelchairs are able to play the sport due to new technology. The golf sessions focus on providing fun, social activities to reduce isolation and teach people about the importance of teamwork and social inclusion. Alongside teaching amputees, people with intellectual disabilities and older people (up to the age of 90), he also coaches kids of all ages and specialises in those who are disabled and have autism like him.
Mainly through golf-related activities, the charity sets out to make a difference in people’s lives by encouraging them to be socially active and challenge themselves to take part in sport. It also delivers opportunities for education and specifically hygiene skills and qualifications to those who may struggle with basic hygiene. The centre will also allow people who haven’t completed school as a result of personal challenges to gain qualifications in a variety of subjects and take care of their mental health through many available services.
Warren has been a coach and golfer for nearly 13 years now and has enabled thousands of people to engage with the sport and develop the confidence to be active. His advice for others who may feel excluded from society is to persevere through negativity to reach your goals. “There’s always going to be negative people. For those who want to learn new things and become something, my advice is to just go for it. Think about your dream and just go for it. You’re always going to be climbing the ladder or stairs so take it one step at a time. You might fall down a few steps along the way or be blocked by someone negative but push, push and push to get to where you want. If you persevere, people will start to understand what you’re doing and this will help with good support around you.”
Though only a few years old, Warren Clark Golfing Dreams has already received a lot of support from local schools, colleges, charities, councils, businesses and sporting organisations which include Linden Lodge School, the National Autistic Society, the Yume Project, EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association), the Arctic One Foundation, and West Sussex County Council to name but a few. Warren’s plans are to expand his charity and venue to different parts of the world where golf is inaccessible or expensive.
“Some of the people I’ve met and coached are incredible and inspiring! I’ve had golf lessons with people who have one arm, people who are completely blind or deaf and those who are in pain. All these people thought they could never swing a golf club, but I’ve helped them with that. The work I do is truly life-changing, because people can still play golf up until the age of 90 – it’s a generational sport and you can experience its benefits at any age.”
Receiving Beyond Sport's Courageous Use of Sport Award presented by WWE meant a lot to him and his work. “Winning this award means the world to me and the community I serve. I love teaching golf and it makes me happy to give others the great opportunities that I benefit from every day,” said Warren, who learned about the good news whilst relaxing with his border collie, Taff.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have this award, but also to give as many people as possible an opportunity to thrive in life through golf.... people with autism and disabilities – physical or mental – often struggle a lot to have opportunities in life in the UK and worldwide.”
Warren’s sights are set on expanding his charity this year and opening his fully inclusive and accessible golf centre, which his team believes will be the first of its kind in the UK. The accompanying grant from this award will contribute towards the centre to ensure that more people with disabilities are able to access and enjoy the sport of golf.