Irish Amputee Football Event to take place at UL

The Junior Irish Amputee Football Team will host their European Development Training weekend this June.

This event will begin on Saturday, June 11th at the University of Limerick's 3G pitches, taking place from 12.30-3pm.

In March of this year, Dublin hosted the very first Junior European Football Camp which saw children and families travel from Poland, the UK, Netherlands and Italy. Amputee football in Europe has thrived in recent months with there now being 15 countries with their own Amputee Football Associations who have been given a grant by the European Amputee Football Federation to develop the sport. Among the countries to receive the grant was the Irish Amputee Team and as a result, are running their European Training Weekend in June.

The Junior Irish Amputee Football Team is an outreach project which provides thereapeutic sport. All team players have a disability whether it be an upper limb loss or a lower limb loss. Some patients from a number of clinics around the country take part and find that they can still play football without too much difficulty. The team also have a Senior Squad who will be travelling to Poland to represent Ireland in June this year. So, as much as the children have a therapeutic outlet, they too aspire to make the Senior Squad some day.

This free event will include an open afternoon to raise awareness and to encourage more to support the team and take part. Secretary of the team, Karen King will also be going around to clinics nationwide with posters to promote the event.