The West Australian Para Football Program
State Football Program for Athletes with Neurological Impairment . Australia
Inclusion
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Education
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Acceptance
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Belonging
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Inclusion 〰️ Education 〰️ Acceptance 〰️ Belonging 〰️
Football (7-a-side) caters for athletes with disabilities related to neurological impairment such as cerebral palsy, acquired brain injuries (ABI), stroke injury and certain forms of motor neurone disease.
It began as an official sport since the 1984 New York Paralympic Games with International Federation of Associated Football (FIFA) rules allowing slight modifications to ensure football players with a range of ability levels can enjoy competing in this format.
In the decades since the 7-a-side football format progressed to being part of the advanced player pathways in scores of countries and now stands on its own two feet, driven by proactive football organisations around the planet who all want to win the CP Football World Cup.
In Western Australia former Pararoo David Cantoni volunteered to commence a training and mentorship program to identify and nurture potential players in 2010. The WA Para Football Program comprises of two main programs, The main program for ages 15+ and the youth program aimed at athletes 7 to 14.
The WA Para Football Program comprises of athletes currently within the Pararoos and Paramatildas national team high-performance program.
The Western Australian pathway delivers a variety of opportunities for participants:
set their own goals.
advance skills, ability and fitness.
join socially.
learn from athletes who have faced varied life challenges.
work under specialised professional coaches.
work towards selection for the WA State team, and
join a growing number of Western Australians selected to represent Australia on the world stage in the ‘Pararoos’.
Role Requirements
Assist with the facilitation of training sessions in conjunction with coaching staff.
Train with athletes with a variety of different skill levels including Australian representatives and junior players participating in sport for the first time.
Forge friendship with participants in the program.
Help foster an environment for people with Cerebral Palsy to be more active more often.
Establish strategies to grow the WA Para Football Program in the Perth Metropolitan and South-West Region.
Head Coach: Dr. Fadi Maayah
The WA Para Football Program is spearheaded by head coach Dr. Fadi Maayah.
Fadi is a lecturer at the school of education at Curtin University and is an adjunct senior lecturer at the School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University.
Fadi’s research focuses on high performance athletes mainly football science, physical education pedagogy, and the positive impact of sports on improving health and educational outcomes for Aboriginal people, people from Low SES backgrounds and people with Cerebral Palsy.
Dr. Fadi is a world leading in researcher in Cerebral Palsy Football and was a fantastic mentor in how to be an impactful coach for athletes both on and off the field. In addition, Fadi explained in depth the benefits CP Football has for participants, both mentally and physically, and firmly established the need for sporting opportunities for athletes with disabilities.
Key Player: Miguel ‘Miggy’ Marcelino
Miguel ‘Miggy’ Marcelino is a legend of CP Football in the State of Western Australia. An athlete, that predates the creation of the program, who spent the majority of his time training as a Pararoo by himself as the only CP athlete in the state. Miggy represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games for Football 7-a-side (CP Football) in which the Australian Pararoos placed 7th at their home Paralympic Games.
It has been a pleasure to work with an athlete Miggy’s international caliber, who is also a fantastic role model for all athletes in the WA Para Football Program.
