Northern Ireland’s Cerebral Palsy team will be taking part in the CP Men’s Euros this month.
They have been drawn to face hosts England, Spain and Ukraine in the group stages of the seven-a-side tournament, which is being held at Loughborough University from 15 to 23 August.
The event, organised by the International Federation of CP Football, will feature eight teams from across Europe.
Northern Ireland have been placed in a tough group (Group A). Ukraine’s CP team are ranked number one in the world, while England are ranked joint fourth. And Spain are ninth in the world rankings compared to Northern Ireland in 20th.
Last year the Northern Ireland CP team won silver at the CP Men’s World Championships, which were staged for teams ranked 17 to 32 in the IFCPF world ranking list.
Scotland, who defeated Northern Ireland in the gold medal match at that tournament, are also taking part in this year’s Euros. Now ranked 16th in the world, they are in Group B along with Republic of Ireland (ranked eighth), Netherlands (joint fourth) and Germany (10th).
Matchday one for Northern Ireland at the university in Leicestershire will see them take on England this Friday (15 August) at 6.30pm, while they are scheduled to face Spain on Sunday (17 August) at 1.30pm. Their final game in the group stages is next Tuesday (19 August) against Ukraine. That game also has a 1.30pm start.
Games to determine overall placings at the IFCPF Men's European Championships will then take place on Thursday 21 August and Saturday 23 August.
Team boss Stephen Watson said it will be “a tight competition” in Loughborough, however he pointed out Northern Ireland will be taking a team of good quality players with plenty of experience on the international stage to England.
“We will try to perform at our best, but we know we will be up against it. However, we are ready to take on the challenge with a positive attitude,” he added.
The 10-strong Northern Ireland CP squad features eight players who took part in last year’s IFCPF Men’s World Championships in Spain. Corey Kennedy and Reuben Kingham are the newcomers.
Northern Ireland CP squad: Paul Cassidy (GK) (Belfast), Charlie Fogarty (Birmingham), Oisin McGurk (Magherafelt), Jordan Walker (Belfast), Sean Coyle (Coleraine), Corey Kennedy (Derry-Londonderry), Ryan Walker (Armagh), Charley Emerson (Belfast), Reuben Kingham (Moneyreagh), Finn Mullan (Carrickfergus).
