Amputee football tournament kicks off at the Bay
AN inaugural international tournament taking place this weekend in West
Fife hopes to put “amputee football firmly on the map in Scotland”.
Dalgety Bay Sports and Leisure Centre will welcome several nations to take part in the EAFF (European Amputee Football Federation) Nations League, which will be the biggest international para-football tournament of its kind to take place in Scotland.
Scotland’s national amputee squad will take on the Netherlands, Albania, Azerbaijan and Kosovo in Group D of the competition, which will also see matches hosted in Poland (Group
A), France (Group B), and Belgium (Group C).
Matches in Scotland’s section will be held on both Saturday and Sunday, and Ashley Reid, founder of Amputee Football Association Scotland, and CEO of Scottish ParaFootball, said: “With just days to go until the tournament, nerves and excitement levels are running high with the players and staff.
“This competition has involved months of preparation, not just in terms of training and fitness of the players but the logistics and organisation required to host an event of this scale. We are incredibly grateful to all our sponsors and supporters who have made it possible.
“This is the first event of this kind to be hosted in Scotland but we hope it puts amputee football firmly on the map in Scotland.”
The Scots squad is made up of 11 individuals each with a lower or upper limb amputation, including Fife Paralympian, Iain Matthew, 47, who has been instrumental in bringing the tournament to the Kingdom in his role of director of Amputee Football Association Scotland.
“It has taken an incredible amount of work to reach this point but we’re now looking forward to welcoming our visitors to Scotland and to seeing the fruits of our labour, both on and off the pitch,” he said.
“Having secured our first international wins last year against Belgium in a friendly tournament, we’re hoping to see the same success this weekend.
“The lads have trained hard and deserve it.
“We would love for as many people as possible to come along to watch, not only to support the teams but also to experience what a spectacle it is to watch amputee football.”
Scotland kick off the competition against Kosovo on Saturday, at
10am, and play Albania at 1pm.
On Sunday, they are first up against the Netherlands, at 10am, before playing Azerbaijan at 1pm.
Saturday’s other fixtures are Netherlands v Azerbaijan (11.30am), Azerbaijan v Kosovo (2.30pm), and Netherlands v Albania (4pm), whilst on Sunday, Kosovo meet Albania at 11.30am, with the Netherlands playing Kosovo at 2.30pm, and Albania facing Azerbaijan at 4pm.
Entry for spectators to the matches is free.