April 8 2010 - A £5,000 donation from Takeda UK to the England Amputee Football Association (EAFA) is helping to raise the £20,000 needed to send the Great Britain Amputee Football (GBAF) team to Argentina later this year to compete in the 2010 World Amputee Football Federation World Cup.
The EAFA creates opportunities for amputees and others with limited use of their limbs - cancer patients, ex-services personnel and accident victims - to play football at local, national and international level.
With Takeda’s help, the GBAF team will be playing the French national team for the Takeda Cup in Manchester on June 5th, but the World Cup next October is being hosted by Argentina in the city of Crespo, and the British squad is raring to go.
“Takeda’s support has been invaluable and this donation has really set the ball rolling,” said team manager Dave Tweed. “But we need more - we’re aiming to raise as much as possible to finance training weekends as well as covering the travel and other expenses of entering the competition.”
Takeda’s Corporate Communications Manager Mark Reale is equally enthusiastic: “When you see what these guys can achieve on the pitch, it’s truly inspirational for all of us, as well as other amputees. All of us at Takeda are delighted to be working with the club, because its activities prove that losing a limb, whether though cancer, on active service or some other misfortune, needn’t prevent you from leading a full and active life. These young people are setting a great example and we’ll be supporting them all they way.”
More information on the GBAFA can be found at www.theeafa.co.uk, and individual donations can be made online at www.everyclick.com/amputeefootball.
