Football Victoria (FV) in partnership with Ballarat Futsal successfully obtained financial support to compete in the World Futsal Championships in the USA through the Peter Amor Sports Participation Grant.
The grant, administered through the Ballarat Foundation was established in Peter’s honour by his family and friends, to help young children from disadvantaged backgrounds participate in sport.
Auspiced by FV, the funding was utilised as a subsidy for the families of the travelling players, on a trip that was otherwise completely self-funded. A series of other fundraising initiatives were coordinated with the club including BBQs, raffles, a shirt presentation event and corporate/family sponsors.
The U10's at the Ballarat Warriors were chosen for this opportunity. The players themselves were selected from open trials and picked based on attitude, effort and ability to listen rather than simply talent or financial capacity.
The trip itself involved two events and was a great success. Firstly, the team earned silver in their age group at the USA National Showcase, before the main event got underway at the World Futsal Championships in Orlando, Florida.
The boys had the privilege of joining over 400 other clubs from around the world for the prestigious event, making a truly Australian entrance in the opening ceremony – hopping like kangaroos to the delight of the packed-out crowd.
The team made the Bronze Division Group Grand Final, where they finished as runners-up to Alianza FC from New York City.
The Warriors travelled with a set of special miniature gold pans, representing the golden history of Ballarat and were given as a mem
ento to all of the clubs they played in the US. One was also presented to the Ballarat Foundation as a sign of appreciation for their generous support.
Director of Futsal Ballarat, Andrew Burgess says that the grant provided substantial relief to the families of the participating players.
“It made a significant difference to our families and was very much appreciated by all,” he said.
“The players [were] drawn from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, with a number having limited access to material and social resources.
“This is about opportunity and regional kids simply do not usually have that opportunity.
“Thank you to the Amor family and the Foundation for [their] support. The legacy from this trip will be that we have established a pathway for regional kids and families to access an international mass participation event where they can live their dreams.”