Northern Ireland v San Marino Offical Match Programme

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CP TEAM READY TO
TAKE ON THE WORLD
Northern Ireland are among the
16 countries that have qualified
for the 2017 IFCPF Cerebral Palsy
World Championships to be held
in Argentina next September.
Currently ranked 13th in the world, Northern Ireland
finished in an impressive fifth place in the qualification
tournament in Denmark back in the summer.
Victories over Canada (3-2), Australia (2-0) and
Germany (6-0) cemented their place at the top table
next year.
The Northern Ireland squad features three players
who recently enjoyed the experience of playing at the
Paralympics in Brazil. Team captain David Leavy from
Downpatrick was the first Northern Ireland player
ever selected to represent Great Britain, while Cormac
Birt from Toome and Ryan Walker from Armagh
represented Ireland in the showcase event in Rio.
When they head off to Argentina the Northern Ireland
squad will be looking to improve upon their 13th
place finish at the 2015 World Championships held in
England.
Team manager Alan Crooks said: “It’s fantastic that
such a young squad is regularly qualifying for the
major competitions in CP football. The players are
improving all the time and with the experience they
have already gained hopefully they can continue to
progress up the world rankings.”
Cerebral Palsy football in Northern Ireland is open to
males aged seven-plus with a restriction in mobility
caused by cerebral palsy, stroke or acquired brain
injury. Players are able to run unaided.
If you know of anyone that would be interested
in joining the CP football programme email
team manager Alan Crooks at acrooks@irishfa.
com. They could well be playing in a world
championships for Northern Ireland…
Get in touch, 028 9070 5205
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