Wolverhampton dad to represent England at Transplant Football World Cup
A life saving liver transplant lead Jon Bailey to the international football stage
Last updated 30th Jun 2026
A Wolverhampton dad who received a life saving liver transplant during his battle with a rare disease is now preparing to represent England on the international football stage.
Jon Bailey will be heading to Germany later this year as part of the England Transplant Football Team to compete at the Transplant Football World Cup.
His remarkable recovery comes after a health battle spanning almost three decades, which began when routine blood tests as a teenager revealed a serious liver condition, despite him feeling completely healthy.
Jon was just 13 when doctors discovered his liver was becoming scarred after tests carried out ahead of treatment for acne revealed abnormal results.
“At that age I felt absolutely fine,” he said.
“I was still playing football, still active and doing everything my friends were doing.
"When doctors started talking about liver disease, I couldn't really get my head around it because I didn't feel ill at all.”
Further investigations revealed Jon had autoimmune hepatitis, a condition which causes the body's immune system to attack the liver. He later developed primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare disease affecting the bile ducts.
Despite the setbacks, football remained a constant throughout his life, but by 2019, Jon's liver disease had progressed to the point where he was placed on the transplant waiting list.
Following delays due to covid, he received the life saving treatment in 2021 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham .
The 41-year-old will also compete at this summer’s Westfield Health British Transplant Games in Sheffield for the hospital where he had his transplant in the weeks leading to the world cup.
He continues to attend regular hospital appointments and receives ongoing treatment, but he has returned to the sport he loves and has become one of England’s first choice goalkeepers in transplant football.
After discovering the transplant football community through the British Transplant Games, Jon helped establish a Birmingham-based transplant football team, which has gone on to become one of the strongest sides in the country.
It also comes after Jon recently helped his country to silverware in the first ever Four Nations tournament at Ross County FC, beating Scotland in the final and helping to raise awareness of the life-changing benefits of organ donation.
He added: “Football has played a huge part in my recovery. It gave me a goal, a community and something positive to focus on.
“Without organ donation, none of this would be possible. I wouldn't be playing football, I wouldn't be representing my country and I wouldn't be here watching my daughter grow up.
“I'll be forever grateful to my donor and her family. All I know about my donor is that she passed away in her 20s and her family gave their consent to donate her organs, which has ultimately changed my life.
“I don’t know how agonising that decision would have been for that amazing lady’s family, which is why it is important for people to have a conversation with their loved ones about their organ donation preferences, as it is your immediate family who provide that final consent.
“I am planning to write a letter to my donor’s family. I can’t quite put my gratitude into words at this stage, but it will come in time.”
Jon is sharing his story at a time when the national transplant waiting list has reached a record high, with more than 8,200 people currently waiting for a transplant across the UK.
"I hope my story shows people that there really can be life after transplant, and that one decision to donate can change everything," he said.
The squad are fundraising to help get them to Germany in September, each taking part in a number of different events to help reach their target.
Jon added: "Hopefully, it can be not one but two England teams bringing a world cup home this year!"