Republic of Ireland Down Syndrome futsal team set for debut at European Championships in Italy

The Republic of Ireland Down Syndrome Futsal Team are part of a squad of 15 athletes who will take part in the SU-DS (Sports Union for Athletes with Down Syndrome) European Championships next week in Padova Italy.

Futsal is an indoor five-a-side game where the ball is heavier and the pace of the game is fast. Futsal is great for skill development and has been played at international level by players with Down Syndrome since 2018.

Skippered by 25 year old Dubliner Josh Hennessy, this is the first time a Republic of Ireland team has competed at these Championships.

The squad includes Dundalk's Jamie Linden- a World gold medal winner in Martial Arts in 2017, Bohemians Football for All midfielder and Waterford native Sean Toolin and the Donegal trio of goalkeeper David Crawford and attackers Daniel O'Reilly and Hughie Sweeney.

Gweedore's Sweeney is an experienced campaigner at international level having previously represented Ireland at the 2011 World Special Olympics in Greece while his twin Eamon has also represented his country at international level.

Another player who previously worn the green of Ireland is midfielder Cian Kelliher of Mallow United Special Olympics Club who recently starred in the World Special Olympics held in Berlin where he medalled in kayaking.

The eight man squad, who were selected after a number of training camps and have been training as a group throughout the summer under the guidance of former League of Ireland player and current FAI Football for All Coordinator Paul Smyth alongside Wexford's Brendan Corish- also a Football for All Coordinator.

The initiative is a collaboration between the FAI and Down Syndrome Louth Meath Branch and has became a reality due to the support of communities and sponsors while a number of League of Ireland clubs have also played their part.

The team will play their games at the Palazzetto dello Sport Salboro Luigi De Michiel Via Ponchia1 in Padova and are facing fixtures on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Ahead of their departure, manager Smyth spoke to FAI media about the preparation for the event, "We've worked hard and tried to make them better footballers. We've seen that from the beginning to where they are now, it's been fantastic".

Attacker Michael McCloy from Whitecross just outside Newry, speaking to the same source, backed up his coach's sentiment on the training schedule, "It was really hard but we had to keep going, because we'll have to keep going (in Italy)".

Smyth shed more light on the squad when talking about the FAI Programme he's involved with.

"Through the Football for All Programme in the FAI we give players with disabilities the opportunity to go and play, firstly within the grassroots clubs and we've really developed the Football for All club programme but then from there the players that have that ability to go forward, whether that be the regional squads or international and go on to pull on the green jersey."

"That's the proudest moment for a footballer- to play for your country. These lads are going to have that opportunity next week and it's really exciting."