Ben Roche's life changed forever the minute he first laid eyes on the Pararoos. Now he wants other young kids with cerebral palsy to feel the same way.
Fresh from qualifying for next year's IFCPF World Cup in Spain, the Pararoos – Australia's national team for players with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders – have set themselves a new goal: playing a game on home soil.
Game on: Ben Roche and the Pararoos are hoping to play a first home fixture in two decades.
It may sound modest, but it is something they haven't managed to achieve in nearly two decades.
Roche was there as a spectator the last time it happened during the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney and it immediately inspired him. He has been involved with the Pararoos, who play a modified seven-a-side version of football, practically ever since.
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Now 27, he is one of their best players. Roche scored 10 goals during last week's Asia-Oceania championships campaign in Iran last week which sealed their World Cup qualification.
But every single match he has played for his country has been overseas, simply because the Pararoos have never had the money to arrange out-of-competition friendlies here.
Since the Australian Sports Commission pulled their funding in 2015, they have barely had enough for training camps. Somehow, Australia have become the world's No.10-ranked team at a time when leading para-football nations are paying players full-time.
Celebrations: the Pararoos after qualifying for the World Cup.
To help bridge the gap, the Pararoos are seeking a naming rights sponsor to help them reach their funding goal of $250,000 to underwrite their World Cup campaign.
That would also be enough to pay for a pre-tournament farewell game, which Roche believes could have a transformative effect on many young lives.
"There's kids staying up late watching our streams at 1.30am back in Australia because of what we're doing," Roche said.
"Cerebral palsy's quite common in Australia, a kid's born every 12 hours (with it), you've got 700,000 with acquired brain injuries and there's the world game available for them to play. There's an opportunity for them to represent Australia. If we could show them that even closer, it'd be amazing."
The Pararoos are more than just a team to Roche.
"I don't know where I'd be without them," he said. "We've created a community with our football, we support each other. If someone's struggling with mental health or things going on in their personal life, we have this group of guys who you can call on it any time."
Tax-deductible donations to the cause can be made through the Australian Sports Foundation's website.
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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Ben Roche's life changed forever the minute he first laid eyes on the Pararoos. Now he wants other young kids with cerebral palsy to feel the same way.
Fresh from qualifying for next year's IFCPF World Cup in Spain, the Pararoos – Australia's national team for players with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders – have set themselves a new goal: playing a game on home soil.
Game on: Ben Roche and the Pararoos are hoping to play a first home fixture in two decades.
It may sound modest, but it is something they haven't managed to achieve in nearly two decades.
Roche was there as a spectator the last time it happened during the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney and it immediately inspired him. He has been involved with the Pararoos, who play a modified seven-a-side version of football, practically ever since.
Advertisement
Now 27, he is one of their best players. Roche scored 10 goals during last week's Asia-Oceania championships campaign in Iran last week which sealed their World Cup qualification.
But every single match he has played for his country has been overseas, simply because the Pararoos have never had the money to arrange out-of-competition friendlies here.
Since the Australian Sports Commission pulled their funding in 2015, they have barely had enough for training camps. Somehow, Australia have become the world's No.10-ranked team at a time when leading para-football nations are paying players full-time.
Celebrations: the Pararoos after qualifying for the World Cup.
To help bridge the gap, the Pararoos are seeking a naming rights sponsor to help them reach their funding goal of $250,000 to underwrite their World Cup campaign.
That would also be enough to pay for a pre-tournament farewell game, which Roche believes could have a transformative effect on many young lives.
"There's kids staying up late watching our streams at 1.30am back in Australia because of what we're doing," Roche said.
"Cerebral palsy's quite common in Australia, a kid's born every 12 hours (with it), you've got 700,000 with acquired brain injuries and there's the world game available for them to play. There's an opportunity for them to represent Australia. If we could show them that even closer, it'd be amazing."
The Pararoos are more than just a team to Roche.
"I don't know where I'd be without them," he said. "We've created a community with our football, we support each other. If someone's struggling with mental health or things going on in their personal life, we have this group of guys who you can call on it any time."
Tax-deductible donations to the cause can be made through the Australian Sports Foundation's website.
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
