The 2014 ASEAN Para Games is featuring football as a sport for the very first time. And Singapore is fielding a team that stands a good chance of winning a gold medal.
Players from the Singapore Cerebral Palsy Football Team during their training.
The 2014 ASEAN Para Games is featuring football as a sport for the very first time.
And Singapore is fielding a team that stands a good chance of winning a gold medal.
Channel NewsAsia met up with the players at one of their training sessions.
Two hours a week, that's the training regime, but the frequency has doubled in recent months.
And
despite a short history of four years, the team has an impressive
honours roll... making Singapore currently the best team in the region.
Their coach is confident of a top finish at the 2014 competition.
Mohamed
Zainudeen, head coach of the Singapore Cerebral Palsy Football Team,
said: "We were the only team from ASEAN to have represented in the Dream
Asia Tournament and we got third, just behind Iran and Australia. So we
will definitely give our best, as you can see the morale and the spirit
of the team is fantastic, week in week out they are preparing for this
tournament. I am definitely very confident the team will do very well."
The 13-member squad include students and working adults, and their ages range from the twenties to thirties.
Strong camaraderie sees the lads setting high goals for themselves, beyond the 2014 ASEAN Para Games.
Khairul
Anwar, captain of the Singapore Cerebral Palsy Football Team, said:
"2015 we are going to have the SEA Games in Singapore... I am hoping for
that to play at home ground with the big crowds, Paralympics is the
next aim for us."
Funding is limited, but they have tackled that with support from generous donors and well wishes to keep the ball rolling.
Come August, the team will be headed to Austria for a seven-a-side invitational tournament.
Besides host Austria, the other teams competing include Germany, Denmark and Italy.
The European experience will indeed be a good tune-up for the Singapore boys ahead of the 2014 ASEAN Para Games.
Source : Channel News Asia , 4th June 2013
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