This August (10th - 11th) the Irish Amputee Football Association will host and take part in an international soccer tournament - The PaddyPower Cup.

116 players and staff from 6 countries will descend on Limerick for 2 days for what promises to be an action packed weekend of football. Poland, Germany, Belgium, England, Netherlands and host country, Ireland, will battle it out through the group and knock-out stages, a total of 11 games, to see who will be first to lift the PaddyPower Cup.

Amputee football is based on the same rules as regular football, however, outfield players have only one leg and play on crutches without their prosthetic limb. Goalkeepers have just one arm. But don’t be fooled... these international footballers play able bodied teams in training. If you haven’t seen amputee football played yet, look it up.

The IAFA have created this tournament to highlight the game of amputee football and encourage young amputees to get involved - young amputees who will be the future of the game. The IAFA hope to start a youth squad after this tournament. Full day training workshops will run alternatively between Limerick and Dublin once a month following the tournament, opening in other areas as demand grows. The IAFA will also have workshops running over the weekend of the tournament for anyone thinking of getting involved, so come down and try in out, you too could be putting on the green jersey one day.

The tournament will take place from 10th - 11th August and matches will be played on the all-weather pitches of the North Campus at the University of Limerick. The opening ceremony takes place at 10am on Saturday 10th and the final will be played on Sunday 11th at 4pm.

If you want to catch the Irish squad in action, they kick off their campaign on Saturday with an opener against England. The English team have nearly 25 years of playing experience behind them making this opening fixture one of the biggest challenges for the Irish lads but if they’re like any other Irish football team, you can expect them to up their game under pressure.

For more information on the tournament and the Irish Amputee Football Association go to: www.irishamputeefootballassociation.com