Pre-teen Freddy Mahoney, who had his leg amputated at 14 weeks old following a blood clot, has been selected to play for England.
He began playing football at the end of 2021, with a team that caters to different disabilities and was invited to join the England Amputee Football Association junior team after a year of training.
Now, Freddy, who uses crutches, has been asked to join the England squad – at just 12 years old.
‘I felt amazed because I never thought I would be able to play football for them,’ said footy-mad Freddy, ‘I enjoy playing because it’s just a fun sport.’
The youngster has already represented his country in Ireland and will be playing for England at a football camp in Warsaw, Poland, next month.
His mum Amanda Mahoney, 45, from Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire, said she knew her son had a chance but didn’t think he’d be considered strong enough yet.
‘I thought they would leave it until next year or the year after,’ she said.
‘But when we found out, I was dead chuffed – it just makes you so proud.’
Despite the complications associated with his extremely early birth (at just 24 weeks), Amanda said Freddy is ‘one of the most resilient people,’ and football has only helped him.
‘It’s absolutely massively helped his confidence,’ the mum-of-two said.
‘Even his teachers have mentioned that his confidence has gone through the roof since going to the England camps.
‘It’s so nice to see.
‘After every camp, there is a huge boost to his confidence and he is a little bit more self-assured.’
Freddy trains with the England amputee team once every six weeks and while he’s at home he plays with people who have Cerebral Palsy or use frames to help them walk.
Amanda says this is because there are ‘not enough amputee teams’ in the country and she hopes more football clubs will engage with the sport in the future.
‘There [aren’t] many of the big clubs that have engaged with amputee football just yet,’ she said.
‘There’s only a few places in the country where they actually run amputee specific sessions.
‘As parents, we are all trying to desperately get our local clubs to get on board but it’s a bit of a fight at the moment.
‘I think as awareness increases, the number of clubs that are willing to put their time and effort into it, will increase.
‘It would be fantastic if we could get a local amputee team up and running.
‘It would just be fabulous.’
Amanda, an accountant, is helping to raise money for the training camps, which rely on donations and are run by volunteers, through a crowdfunding campaign.
‘[The camps] really make all the kids feel welcome and at home,’ said Amanda.
‘They encourage the children that when they are putting on their England kit, that they are representing their country.
‘It’s also really important they uphold the values and they tell them to get into “Lion mode”.
‘They do a really good job of boosting their confidence and making them aware of how big a deal it is.’
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