Cerebral palsy captain Matt Crossen hopes World Cup win can provide inspiration

England cerebral palsy team captain Matt Crossen hopes a successful World Cup campaign can help inspire the next generation of disability footballers.

After reaching the final of the 2023 European Championship, where England were beaten by Ukraine, Andy Smith’s squad head to Spain with ambitions of making another run deep into the IFCPF (International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football) tournament, which sees them up against Brazil, Canada and Japan in the group stage.

The FA has announced a new four-year plan, ‘Football Without Limits’, as the governing body’s next step to help raise awareness of disability football in England.

As well as a focus on grassroots participation, increasing both playing opportunities and coach development, the FA’s strategy will prioritise increasing the number of players transitioning through the pathway into England para teams, which will be aiming to compete in high-quality international competitions.

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Crossen believes such initiatives can form part of a meaningful legacy for the current England CP squad.

“Getting to a final (at the Euros), we now want to replicate that as best we can,” Crossen told the PA news agency.

“We know the World Cup has got a lot more difficult teams involved, but the group of lads we have got is more than capable of achieving our goal.

“We have got some of the best players in the world in our team. We know that if we can perform, we can certainly get out the group but that is something we don’t take for granted.

“If we can get out of the group, then we are just going to take each game as it comes really and hopefully, it will stand us in good stead.”

Crossen, 34, added: “We want to leave sort of a legacy behind, to be able to have lads who are coming through in the pathways who want to be in the para teams.

“You have seen it with the Lionesses, where they started, when no one really took any notice of it, and now look, it is massive, a global brand. That is how we would love para football to be.”

Like everyone in the England CP squad, Stockton-born Crossen has been through his own journey. The semi-professional midfielder suffered a stroke aged 23 in November 2013, which paralysed the left side of his body.

“When I had my stroke, I thought ‘that’s it, I am done’,” said Crossen, who had to learn to walk, speak and write again, and is now left with a permanent pins-and-needles feeling.

“But this has given me a new sense of life and a new pathway for me to go down.

“I wasn’t a bad player, but I would never have played for England otherwise.

“My stroke pushed me on to that way, to fulfil my dream, so it has given me a new lease of life really, because I would have probably been retired now if I hadn’t played for England.”

Crossen – who represented Great Britain at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, where the seven-a-side team finished fifth – added: “Mentally, it is a good space to be part of.

“It is lads who understand and appreciate what they are in and also don’t take anything for granted because of what we all have been through.”

One of the FA strategy’s key aims is to increase the number of players by more than a third across all disability football formats to reach 28,300 registered disabled players by 2028.

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There will also be an upscaling of the new ‘Comets’ initiative, a pan-disability program by England Football for children aged five to 11 to help kick start their football journey.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “We want to ensure that everyone has the choice and inspiration to play football regardless of age, background or ability.

“Our new strategy will increase participation opportunities, provide more support for coaches, and through our talent pathways, develop England para teams for international success.”