The 2024 National Para Football Championships came to an exciting conclusion last month in Canberra, with Football Victoria proudly taking home the Bronze Medal after a convincing 5-1 victory over Northern NSW Football.
The tournament, hosted at the prestigious Australian Institute of Sport, saw 15 matches played over four intense days of competition, with teams from across Australia showcasing their talents and resilience.
Victoria started the tournament well, winning the first three games, including some big wins against Football QLD (12-0) and Football SA (14-1).
Assistant Coach of Football VIC Seb Zancan, spoke about the draw against eventual premiers Football NSW, where Football VIC courageously came from 2-0 down at halftime to end the 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw.
“NSW were the team that went on to win the tournament, they’ve won 16 years in a row. For us that was a pretty good achievement and that was something we were really proud of," he said.
The team’s only loss of the tournament came later that day against Football WA in a tough 0-6 loss which ruined their chances of playing in the Gold Medal match.
“It was a shame that we weren’t able to make it to the gold medal match because we felt that we could’ve potentially achieved more. But it was good to see that they were able to bounce back from a disappointing result to win the Bronze Medal on the last day," Zancan explained.
Victoria has been in the mix for the past couple of years, winning Bronze last year and Silver the year before. They ultimately finished third in the group stage and won the Bronze Medal match against Northern NSW.
Reflecting on the tournament, Zancan said the draw against Football NSW was the standout performance of the tournament, especially after coming from behind.
“I’ve been around for 10+ years and have never seen Football NSW lose. So for them to drop points in any game is a pretty big achievement so for us," he said.
“That performance and result gave the team a lot of confidence and belief that they’re capable of great things and competing with anyone.”
Looking ahead, the para footballers will now shift their focus to the 2024 IFCPF World Cup which will be held in Salou, Spain in November.
“We’ve got a number of players who have been identified or selected for the ParaRoos squad that’s travelling to Spain for the World Cup in November. Some of those players were already part of the squad and others have confirmed their position or new players that have been placed on the radar for hopefully a World Cup but hopefully in the future," Zancan said.
“Ultimately, we’re trying to push for players to be selected for the national team. If we can get good results on the way and bring some success home for Victoria that would be good but that’s something we’ll keep looking to try and do in the years to come.”
Zancan said he is looking forward to seeing how our Victorian players go and wish the ParaRoos all the best for that tournament and hopefully, they can show the rest of the world what the ParaRoos are capable of.
"The tournament as a whole is a great chance for the Cerebral Palsy (CP) football community to connect and come together.
“It’s a really great opportunity for us to showcase our talent and connect with the CP football community across the country. The community that’s been built in Australia is quite tight and it’s always a nice week to look forward to.”
Zancan mentioned the pride in representing Victoria and how much it means to the players and staff and the National Para Football Championships being one of the highlights of their year.
“This week means a lot to a lot to our players and staff in being able to go away and represent Victoria proudly and showcase what we are capable of. We’re just one big family and there’s some relationships that have been built over a decade so it’s always good fun and nice to get away with the team.”