The last time Great Britain took a football team to the Paralympic Games was in 1992 in Barcelona. Now ParalympicsGB has two teams - the blind squad and the cerebral palsy team. BT is proud that Richard Fox, an advanced apprentice working in BT Operate, is representing Great Britain in the seven-a-side cerebral palsy football tournament in Beijing.
In 2007 Richard scored one of the goals to beat Ireland 6-1 at the world championships in Brazil, and in doing so helped the team to qualify for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Richard is from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, and has been in the Paralympic team for four years, training five times a week. The talented midfielder is excited to join the seven-a-side team, who are seeded seventh, to represent Great Britain on the world stage.
The footballers will compete between September 8th and September 16th in Beijing, with seven players per team, halves of 30 minutes each, and no offside rule. According to Richard, Iran and the Ukraine are both strong rivals leading up to the games.
As a BT Ambassador for London 2012, Richard hopes he can raise awareness for others around Britain to get involved in disabled sport and develop the confidence to compete on an international level.
“Get out there. It is the greatest sport in the world and I love being a part of it. If you are enthusiastic about football and you have the desire then there’s nothing stopping you from playing.”
View the calendar to see when Richard is competing.
