The REpublic of Ireland Women’s Cerebral Palsy Team have been crowned champions of the International Federation of CP Football Nations League for 2023.
Competing in their first ever tournament, the newly-assembled team won 12-6 against the Netherlands on Sunday to follow on from their 11-1 triumph over Denmark and their 16-1 victory over Spain.
In three games, they scored an incredible 39 goals to show their class and make all of their hard work over recent months pay off by finishing top of Group A.
The tournament took place in FC Storebælt in Denmark and the Girls in Green wasted little time in playing their attacking brand of football and not letting any pre-tournament nerves get to them.
This is a team that was established over the past year following excellent work by the CP Football Academy, who set up regular training sessions at the AUL Complex in Dublin. They are keen to recruit more players and hope that this tournament win will inspire girls to take up CP Football.
The team was made up of Heather Jameson, Georgia Barry, Ella Sherlock, Elsie Friel, Katie Finnegan, Robyn Ennis, Reeva Merriman, Eva Walsh and Ali O’Connor.
They were assisted by a support staff consisting of Mick Doyle (Head Coach), Tina McLoughlin (Assistant Coach), Meghan Gannon (Physio), Bobby Moore (Equipment Officer)
The Team Operations were managed by Rachel Kavanagh, a Sport for Business member through Mason Hayes and Curran and sister of Munster Rugby’s Dave Kavanagh.
Kavanagh has been a central figure in getting the CP Football Academy to where it is.
“People with a disability are on a journey that can be slightly different to that of people who don’t have a disability, but I think very often people don’t understand that the parents are also on journeys,” she said speaking last year.
“A lot of time when parents are engaging on behalf of their child it is with services, the football allows them to take a back seat as it is all about the child. The side-line is usually full of chat with parents sharing their experiences which shouldn’t be forgotten.”
“The Academy provides a safe and suitable environment for the players in a world that is not always built for people with disabilities. The common factor is that they all have CP and they are all so accepting of each other. It really is their club and the pressure leaves their shoulders when they step onto the pitch.”
If interested in getting involved with the Girls’ CP Academy, contact enquiries@cpfootballacademy.com