Paralympic football kicks off

Were you inspired by the noise, colour and excitement of the recent World Cup in South Africa? Have you ever wanted to play for your state or country, or do you simply enjoy having a kick in the park?

20 July 2010

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then perhaps you should give Paralympic 7-a-side football a go.

Paralympic 7-a-side football is an adaption of association football (soccer) for participants with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and other neurological disorders. The sport is played in a 7-a-side format on a smaller field of play with other variations to accommodate CP athletes.

Australia has qualified for the World Championships in 2011 to be held in the Netherlands and if the national team has a successful campaign there, they will qualify for the London Paralympics.

Currently, Western Australia is in the process of building a team to compete at the national championships in 2011 and is recruiting new players.

Training sessions are held fortnightly at Gibbney Reserve in Maylands on Saturday mornings and are designed to cater for all regardless of age, skill level or experience.  

Australian Representative and current WA Team Manager David Cantoni said he was excited at the prospect of providing a pathway for potential Paralympians to play football.

“We are hoping to enter a West Australian outfit in the championships next year for the national championships. Ideally I would like us to be competitive and not just make up the numbers but our primary goal is to get as many potential athletes as excited about football as possible,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if you have never played football before or not all you need is a pair of sneakers and a drink bottle. We’ll look after the rest.”

Australia has qualified for the World Cup in 2011 and if the national team has a successful campaign there, they qualify for the London Paralympics.

If you think you might be interested in becoming involved in 7-a-side football through playing, coaching or administrating email David Cantoni at dcantoni@hotmail.com or 0439 943 753.

For more information about 7-a-side football visit www.paralympic.org.