Powerchair soccer team set for World Cup
Dublin People 22 Oct 2011
ON
November 3, the Irish Powerchair Soccer team will play their first match at the
FIPFA World Cup Finals in Paris.
Patrick
Flanagan, a member of Muscular Dystrophy Ireland (MDI) and the Irish Powerchair
Soccer team, played in MDI’s first national tournament at the Irish Wheelchair
Association’s headquarters in Clontarf in 2003.
Success
“The
event was a huge success and since then the sport has grown considerably,
? he
said.
“It
is testament to everyone involved in Irish Powerchair Soccer, past and present,
that after eight years the sport has doubled in size, an intensely competitive
league has been established and this year we will see it brought to the
international stage.
?
The
MDI members who are part of the Irish Powerchair Soccer squad who will
represent Ireland at the finals along with Patrick are Aoife McNicholl from
Laois, Lee Fitzsimons from Dublin and Daniel Stack from Kerry.
The
Irish squad consists of seven members, four members of Muscular Dystrophy
Ireland.
The
team will depart from Dublin on October 30 for Paris and they play their first
match on November 3. The final will be played on November 6.
Cheering
Irish
fans will be cheering them on to victory and a large contingent of family,
friends and supporters are travelling over with the team.
Muscular
Dystrophy Ireland is providing funding for the team during their stay in Paris.
Powerchair
soccer is one of the fastest growing variations of football/soccer in the
world.
It
allows people with more severe disabilities participate in sport and the
world’s most popular sport at that.
The
game is played the same as soccer, two teams, two goals, two halves and one
winner. Players have specialist footgear in the form of indestructible guards
that are used to strike the ball.
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