FFSA is delighted to announce that Marcos Flores will be coaching the South Australian team at next week’s National CP (Cerebral Palsy) Championships.
Flores, who won the Johnny Warren Medal with Adelaide United and currently plays in the NPL for Adelaide City, has been training the squad in recent weeks. He is being assisted by former Paralympian, Andrew Panazzolo, and FFSA coach, Jake Brindley.
This is the first time in five years that SA has taken a team to the CP Nationals and most of the players competed together earlier this year in FFSA’s inaugural league for athletes with disabilities – the Bedford Community League.
Marcos Flores is confident the team will play well.
“It’s a beautiful challenge to come back and to represent South Australia in the best way possible. It’s not about winning; it’s not about losing. It’s about feeling competitive.”
And the players have responded to his leadership. Taylor Harvey said:
“I grew up watching him back in the day. We have a great coach and a great mind to see us through this campaign.”
“We want this to be a long term thing and want to recruit players in the future and grow this."
FFSA’s General Manager of Football Development, Paul Marcuccitti, said:
“We’re extremely pleased to have a team at the CP Nationals again and the players deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve prepared. We’re also incredibly lucky to have Marcos on board. He has a unique ability to inspire with his passion and professionalism.”
The tournament will be held at Valentine Sports Park in Sydney from 2 to 6 October and FFSA’s squad will consist of 10 players (matches are 7 players a side).