Dungloe man James Boyle has been named in the Irish squad that will take part in the first ever Amputee Football European Championships in Turkey next month.
Boyle has been selected as part of the team that is set to face games against England, Russia and Greece in Riva.
The Irish hopefuls have been meeting monthly at the University of Limerick for training.
The tournament takes place from October 1-10.
Boyle, who has scored 12 goals in 29 international appearances, has become a mainstay in the side since his debut against Poland in March 2012.
Boyle – who was born with fibular hemimelia, a birth defect where the fibula bone is missing – had his left leg amputated when he was just six years old.
One of his Irish goals came in the Amputee World Cup in Mexico in December 2014, when he scored a penalty against Uzbekistan in a 6-1 defeat. Ireland also lost 2-0 against Brazil and 2-0 against Ukraine, but Boyle is already accustomed to the big stage.
“James has worked very hard over the past year to make selection for the senior international Amputee squad,” said Simon Baker, the Chair of the Irish Amputee Football Association.
“We are extremely proud of all the hard work and training these players have put in to reach the euros and we are very confident that these players will do their country very proud.”
Ireland face Russia – the number 1 seeds – on October 3rd, England on October 4th and Greece on October 5th.
The tournament represents the culmination of the incredible work that has been done across Europe in developing the sport of Amputee Football since the establishment of the EAFF in 2015.
The tournament also promises to be of an incredibly high standard. 3 of the top 4 nations in World Amputee Football were named 1st seeds for the draw (Russia #1, Turkey #3 and Poland #4).
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