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Australia men's national cerebral palsy soccer team

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The Australia men's national cerebral palsy soccer team represents Australia in international 7-a-side (CP) competitions. Officially nicknamed the Pararoos, the team is currently controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia (FA), which are a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).

Australia
Nickname(s)Pararoos
AssociationFootball Australia
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationAFF (Southeast Asia)
Head coachKai Lammert
CaptainDavid Barber
Most capsChristopher Pyne (104)
Top scorerDavid Barber (70)
FIFA codeAUS
First colours
Second colours
Websitewww.pararoos.com.au

Since the team's foundation in 1998, they have represented Australia at the Paralympics on one occasion in 2000 and participated in nine IFCPF/CPISRA World Championships from 2001 to 2019. Australia achieved their highest result in their debut CPISRA campaign in 2001, beating the United States 1–0 to be positioned 5th out of the total 13 teams qualified.[3] The Pararoos are currently ranked 10th in the IFCPF rankings.[3]

The team consists of neurologically impaired athletes with ataxia, hypertonia or athetosis, playing a similar formatted game to Association Football, with smaller squads, fields and differing throw-in and offside rules.[4]

History

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Foundation (1998)

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Pararoos squad in training camp

Following the introduction of 7-a-side football in the 1984 Summer Paralympic games, Australia lacked a governing body to oversee and funding to develop a Paralympic football team.[5] In 1998 the Cerebral Palsy Australian Sport & Recreation Federation (CPASRF) and the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) collectively established a 7-aside football team in preparation for the countries home Sydney 2000 Paralympics.[6] The team managed by Cornelius Van Eldik and coached by both Russell Marriott and David Campbell lost all three games in the group stage of their debut Summer Paralympic campaign.[7]

In 2001, the team participated in their first Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) World Games, defeating both Belgium, Scotland and England to finish 2nd and 3rd in both group phases. The team went on to defeat the United States 1–0 to finish the tournament in 5th.[3] In 2005, an agreement was made between CPASRF and APC, to pass the control of the team to Football Australia (FA) who were the governing body of both the Australian men's and Australian women's football teams at the time.[6]

Paul Brown (2006 – 2013) era

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Head Coach, Paul Brown

In March 2006, Paul Brown and Kai Lammert were appointed as the head coach and assistant coach of the Paralympic team respectively.[8] This appointment was in preparation for the 2007 CPISRA World Championships, which was the qualifying event for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games. The team finished 11th in the CPISRA championship rankings and subsequently failed to qualify for the Paralympic games, after heavy defeats from both England and Brazil.[3]

Following the team's poor performance in the championships, Brown travelled across Australia to help strengthen state programs, and monitor progress of players. Additionally, Brown conducting three national camps across the 12 months period prior to the 2011 CPISRA World Championships, which was the qualification event to the 2012 London Paralympic games.[9] Although defeating Spain 4–2, in the opening game of the 2011 CPISRA World Championships, the Pararoos lost to Brazil, Netherlands and England to finish in 11th place and subsequently did not qualify to the 2012 London Paralympic games.[3]

As part of the Australian Sport Commission's (ASC) introduction of the Winning Edge Policy on the 23 June 2014, the Pararoos' funding was cut by $175,000,[10] with the commission deciding that funding should be prioritised to sports that have the greatest chance of success.[11] Following this decision, head coach Paul Brown launched an online petition for the reinstation of the government funding, with over 82,000 individuals signing the change.org appeal. However, Matthew Favier the ASC Sport director at the time reiterated the commission's decision stating that the “ASC did not believe the team would qualify for Rio”.[12]

In January 2015, the governance of the sport was passed over from the CPISRA to the newly created International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) [1]. Paul Brown stepped down from his position as head coach in March 2015.[6]

Kai Lammert (2015 – present) era

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Former assistant manager Kai Lammert was named as the new head coach of the Pararoos in March 2015.[6] During his first months within the job, Football Australia (FA) partnered with the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) to develop a tax-deductible scheme to raise much needed funds to support the team, in preparation for future football tournaments.[13] With no funding being provided from ASC, the team was able to qualify and travel to Argentina for the inaugural 2017 IFCPF Championships, through crowd sourced funding.[13] The Pararoos ending up finish 10th following a 2–1 defeat to host country Argentina.[3]

In 2018, the team came 2nd in the IFCPF Asia-Oceania Championship after a 7–0 defeat to Iran in the final, to qualify for the renamed IFCPF World Cup in Spain. The Pararoos went on to finish 10th in the IFCPF World Cup, after a 4–2 loss to Canada.[3]

As part of the FIFA Forward 2.0 initiative in 2019, the FA received funding to help Australia's preparations for future international competitions. While also allowing the team to play their first official match in Australia since the 2000 Paralympic games.[14] The game took place on the 30 November 2019, at Cromer Park Sydney, against world number 12, Canada.[15] The Pararoos won the game 5–0, with almost 1200 fans in attendance, being a record for 7-a-side football outside of the Paralympic Games.[15] The game also broke the record for the highest merchandise spend per fan of any Australian national game over the 2019 calendar year. As part of the FIFA initiative 100% of the revenue made on the day was reinstalled into supporting the team.[15] The game also celebrated the 100th match for Pararoos captain David Barber, who holds the record for the most appearances for the Australian Paralympic team.[15]

Team Image

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Colours

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The Australian Paralympic soccer team uniform is traditionally the exact same as the Australian men's football team. This features a yellow jersey accompanied by yellow shorts and green socks. While alternatively for the away kit, the shirt and shorts are turquoise, and the socks are yellow.[6] The Australian kits have been supplied by Nike, since 2004.[16]

Sponsorship

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Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
1998 - 2004 Adidas
2004 - 2017

Nike

2017-2019 Zest Care [17]
2019 -2022

Nickname

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The Australian Paralympic team's nickname, the “Pararoos” is used to informally refer to the team, in the media and in conversation. Similar to other Australian national representative sporting team nicknames, the term is a portmanteau word combining Paralympic and Kangaroo.[18]

Recent results and fixtures

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2019

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9 July 2019 2019 IFCPF World Cup Argentina   1-4   Australia Seville, Spain
17:00 AEST Report
11 July 2019 2019 IFCPF World Cup Australia   2-0   Spain Seville, Spain
19:00 AEST Report
13 July 2019 2019 IFCPF World Cup Australia   5-0   Thailand Seville, Spain
17:00 AEST Report
16 July 2019 2019 IFCPF World Cup Australia   1-2   Germany Seville, Spain
19:00 AEST Report
18 July 2019 2019 IFCPF World Cup Australia   4-2   Canada Seville, Spain
4:00 AEST Report
30 November 2019 Friendly Australia   5-0   Canada Sydney, Australia
17:30 AEST Report

2022

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International competitions were cancelled throughout 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

5 May 2022 2022 IFCPF World Cup Australia   0-2   Iran Barcelona, Spain
23:30 AEST Report
7 May 2022 2022 IFCPF World Cup United States   5-1   Australia Barcelona, Spain
20:30 AEST Report
10 May 2022 2022 IFCPF World Cup Australia   3-3 (a.e.t.)
(4-5 p)		   Canada Barcelona, Spain
20:30 AEST Report
13 May 2022 2022 IFCPF World Cup Germany   1-2   Australia Barcelona, Spain
20:30 AEST Report

2023

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31 January 2023 Closed Door Friendly Australia   1-4   United States Sydney, Australia
10:30 AEST Lynch   3' Report Stadium: Cromer Park
Attendance: Closed Door Friendly
Referee: Dale Edwards
2 February 2023 Closed Door Friendly Australia   0-2   United States Sydney, Australia
10:30 AEST Report Stadium: Cromer Park
Attendance: Closed Door Friendly
Referee: Dale Edwards
4 February 2023 International Friendly Australia   0-0   United States Sydney, Australia
15:00 AEST Report Stadium: Cromer Park
Attendance: 1,072
Referee: Wayne Crabb

Players

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Caps and goals correct as of 17 May 2022.[20]

Cap No. Position Player Date of birth (age) Appearances Goals Debut
49 GK Cosimo Cirillo 18 May 2001 (age 20) 4 1 v.   Iran 3 August 2016
2 GK, DF, MF Christopher Pyne 3 May 1984 (age 38) 104 20 v.   Netherlands 27 October 1999
1 DF David Barber (captain) 13 July (age 42) 101 70 v.   Netherlands 27 October 1999
27 DF Ben Atkins 26 June 1981 (age 30) 72 8 v.   Canada 31 May 2008
48 DF Alessandro La Verghetta 6 January 2001 (age 21) 7 2 v.   Iran 3 August 2016
51 DF, MF Taj Lynch 15 November 2000 (age 21) 16 1 v.   Ukraine 13 September
46 DF, MF Matthew Hearne 2 July 1999 (age 22) 21 2 v.   Spain 31 July 2016
54 DF, MF Bradley Scott 15 April 1988 (age 34) 3 1 v.   Korea Republic 24 November 2018
44 MF Angus MacGregor 13 June 1995 (age 26) 12 1 v.   Russia 20 June 2015
53 MF Daniel Campbell 25 January 2003 (age 19) 6 2 v.   United States 19 July 2018
17 MF, FW Benjamin Roche 21 November 1988 (age 33) 54 30 v.   Japan 29 June 2005
50 FW Benjamin Sutton 8 May 1993 (age 29) 4 1 v.   United States 11 September 2017
52 FW Augustine Murphy 2 May 2000 (age 22) 5 0 v.   United States 19 July 2018

Club Officials

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Current technical staff

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Updated as of 22 May 2022.[20]

Position Name
Head Coach   Kai Lammert
Assistant Coach   Goran Stajic
Assistant Coach   Tim Palmer
Goalkeeping Coach   Michael Harkness
Team Manager   Jay Phouisangiem

Managers

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Name Period Honours Ref.
  Russell Marriott 1998 - 2006 Summer Paralympic games qualification: 2000

Highest finish in CPISRA World Championships: 5th

[7]
  Paul Brown 2006 - 2013 Highest finish in CPISRA World Championships: 8th [8]
  Kai Lammert 2013 - Highest finish in IFCPF World Championships: 10th [6]

Competitive results

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Updated as of 22 May 2022.[3][20]

Paralympic Games

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Paralympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
  1984 did not participate
  1988
  1992
  1996
  2000 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 0 8
  2004 did not qualify
  2008
  2012
  2016
Total 0 Titles 3 0 0 3 0 8

CPISRA World Championships

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CPISRA World Championships record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
  2001 5th - 6th Playoff 5th 7 4 1 2 12 8
  2007 11th - 12th

Playoff

11th 6 3 0 3 17 13
  2009 7th - 8th

Playoff

8th 6 1 0 5 8 42
  2011 11th - 12th

Playoff

11th 6 3 0 3 15 30
  2013 13th - 14th Playoff 13th 6 2 0 4 4 10
Total 0 Titles 31 13 1 17 56 103

IFCPF CP Football World Championships

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IFCPF CP Football World Championships record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
  2015 11th - 12th Playoff 12th 5 1 1 3 4 15
  2017 9th - 10th Playoff 10th 6 3 0 3 8 19
Total 0 Titles 11 4 1 6 12 34

IFCPF Men's World Cup

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IFCPF CP Football World Championships record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
  2019 11th - 12th Playoff 11th 6 3 0 3 13 15
  2022 11th - 12th Playoff 11th 4 1 1 2 6 11
Total 0 Titles 10 4 1 5 19 26

IFCPF Ranking

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Updated as of 22 May 2022.

A line chart depicting the history of the Australian Paralympic soccer teams IFCPF ranking from 2015 - 2022

  Best Ranking    Worst Ranking    Best Mover    Worst Mover  

Australia Paralympic soccer team ranking
Rank Year Move Ref.
  10 2022 [3]
10 2021 [3]
10 2020 [3]
  10 2019   6 [3]
  16 2018   1 [21]
15 2017   1 [20]
  14 2016   4 [22]
10 2015 [23]
10 2014 [23]

ParaMatildas

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ParaMatildas is the Australian national football team for women with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke. They won silver at the 2022 International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football Women's World Cup, with USA winning in extra time.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  2. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Home - CP Football". www.ifcpf.com. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  4. ^ Reina, R., Sarabia, J., & Yanci, J. (2017). How does the ball influence the performance of change of direction and sprint tests in para-footballers with brain impairments?. PLOS ONE, 12(11), e0187237.
  5. ^ Moore, K. (2013). Football and the Olympics and Paralympics. Sport In Society, 17(5), 640-655.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Paralympic History | My Football". www.myfootball.com.au. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b "2000 Summer Paralympics Australian Team List - Paralympics". Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b Australian Paralympic Committee. (2006). Australian Paralympic Committee Annual Report 2005/06 (p. 21). Canberra.
  9. ^ Australian Paralympic Committee. (2009). Australian Paralympic Committee Annual Report 2009/09 (p. 28). Canberra.
  10. ^ Hammond, A., & Jeanes, R. (2017). Federal Government Involvement in Australian Disability Sport, 1981–2015. The International Journal of The History of Sport, 35(5), 431-447.  
  11. ^ Brissenden, M., & Gearin, M. (2016). AIS head defends' Winning Edge' policy in the lead-up to Rio.
  12. ^ "Pararoos dreams of gold, competing dashed as $175k in funding slashed". Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Meet the world-class Aussies who wouldn't be told they weren't worth paying for". Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  14. ^ Bason, T., Salisbury, P., & Gerard, S. (2018). Fifa. In Routledge Handbook of Football Business and Management (pp. 423-440). Routledge.
  15. ^ a b c d "Australian football proudly celebrates inclusivity, equality and diversity with the Pararoos". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  16. ^ "People weren't impressed with the new Socceroos kit". Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Australia's Paralympic football team signs up Zest Care as official partner". www.insidethegames.biz. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  18. ^ Stell, M., & Salisbury, C. (2015). ‘It's Bigger than the Olympics’: changing Australia through football and the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Soccer & Society, 16(2-3), 245-258.
  19. ^ "Determined Pararoos play out unfortunate defeat on international return | Pararoos". www.pararoos.com.au. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d "Squad | Pararoos". www.pararoos.com.au. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  21. ^ Football NSW. (2018). NSW players dominate Pararoos squad - Football NSW. Retrieved 25 May 2022, from https://footballnsw.com.au/2018/11/21/nsw-players-dominate-pararoos-squad/#:~:text=The%20Pararoos%2C%20who%20are%20currently,on%20Thailand%20two%20days%20later.
  22. ^ "Full Speed Ahead For Football's Pararoos – Coaching Life". www.coachinglife.com.au. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Petition to save the Pararoos goes viral after government decision to cut team's entire funding". Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  24. ^ "ParaMatildas show 'never say die' spirit as they win silver in inaugural Cerebral Palsy Women's World Cup final". ABC News (Australia).
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