Mandy’s off to the World Cup

SOCCER fans might have heard that Ireland’s amputee team are off to the World Cup at the end of the month from founder Simon Baker’s interruption of Roy Keane’s press conference last week.

It takes guts to cross Keane, but this Irish team has bundles of it, including Mandy King from Ballymun, the only female member of the squad heading out to Mexico for the finals on November 30.

The 38-year-old lost her leg to cancer eight years ago, but a chance meeting in Cappagh Hospital almost three years ago has ended up in regular international football and a coaching role with the FAI.

“I was up getting a fitting and I met Irish team manager Christy Mc Elligott and he asked me did I want to play football,

? recalls Mandy.

“I thought he was having a laugh. I mean football? I was after losing my leg so I thought he was joking or something.

?

Mandy took up the offer from Christy – who’s also from Ballymun – and hasn’t looked back since. She trains with the Irish squad in Limerick every month and up at Ballymun United every other week.

In between, she does her own training up in Northwood Park in Santry and from November 30 she’ll be pitting her skills against some of the best players in the world in Culiacan, Mexico.
Minnows Ireland are 12/1 to progress past the first round stage, having drawn a real

‘group of death’ with World Champs Uzbekistan, last year’s Copa America Champions, Brazil and Ukraine, currently ranked eight in the world.

But as one of the few female players in international amputee soccer, mum-of-two Mandy is used to playing against the odds.

“I don’t mind being the only girl on the team,

? she laughs.

“I have to say the lads are very good to me.

“At first they wouldn’t pass me the ball and they mollycoddled me a bit, but I suppose they think I’m here long enough now and they don’t pull any punches with me anymore.

“I think some other countries have female players but I don’t think any of them are going to the World Cup.

?

Mandy knows Ireland will be really up against it in Mexico but she believes the team are capable of pulling of a few surprises.

“We’re actually glad we got the teams we’re playing,

? she says.

“We’re after putting in so much training that we don’t want to go over and play brutal teams. We want to go over and play the best and show them that we can hold our own.

“They’re probably thinking they’ll get easy points against us, but we’ve got some outstanding players so I think they’re going to be in for a bit of a shock.

?
Remarkably, Mandy doesn’t see her amputation as a disability and in fact she says she wouldn’t take her leg back, even if it was possible to do so.

“When I lost my leg I was worrying about how was I going to do things like hang the washing out but now I don’t get a minute to do any of that kind of stuff because I’m too busy,

? she says.

“It’s just unreal how my life has changed for the better. I know people say, well you lost your leg but look, I’m still alive and that’s the way I see it.

“Before I lost the leg I wasn’t really doing anything, I had no ambition to do anything, and now I’m playing international football and I have a coaching job with the FAI.

?

?¢ The Irish Amputee Football Association (IAFA) is sponsored by Paddy Power who is giving odds of 66/1 for Ireland to win world cup and 12/1 to get out of the group. All proceeds from bets go to Cappagh Hospital Trust.