Paralympic
Sports first got given worldwide exposure and recognition back in 1960
when Rome hosted the very first Summer Paralympic Games. Since then a
number of Athletes (of all disabilities) have etched their name in to
the history books as Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners. Although
their are many Sports out there which cater for people with a
disability, many of the organisers who volunteer their time and support
go unnoticed by the greater public. Australian of the Year nominee Jay
Larkins has actively been involved with the Brisbane Paralympic Football
Program (a program he started) since 2006 and today coaches over 100
children who have a disability. Inside the Box FC caught up with Jay
during this festive season to talk more about this program and what it
means for people with a disability.
1.
How did the idea of helping out the
disabled youth of Australia first start and what was the Genesis of it all?
In 2005 my youngest son Jarrod, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, was
invited by the Sporting Wheelies & Disabled Association Queensland to
attend The Festival of Football to represent Queensland to compete against NSW
in what was promoted as a Cerebral Palsy 7aside Football event. This event was only available to people
affected by a physical disability, specifically Cerebral Palsy or Brain
Impairment. These participants were
qualified to compete in the Paralympic sport of what was then known as CP
7aside football.
I will always remember arriving at Perry Park, the home of Queensland Football
at the time, expecting to see lots of other children of Jarrod's age ready to
participate in this event. I was soon brought back to
reality when a guy, who I considered to be much more affected by CP than Jarrod,
introduced himself & handed me a second hand basketball singlet for my son to
wear. On
inquiring where all the other kids were he explained this was the Queensland
Team & Jarrod, who had just turned 11, had to play with the adults.
Having been heavily involved with football for many years I thought
that being in a representative team and playing at the home of football would
mean all the athletes would be treated as elite athletes. Boy was I in for a fright! They set up a field at the back of one of the
goals on the main field, erected 2 plastic goals and that’s where my son became
involved with what is now known as Paralympic Football.
At the end of this event I didn't feel the athletes who participated
were taken seriously and thought it was time for someone to make an effort to
improve the sport for future years. The following week I wrote to Sporting
Wheelies offering my services as the CP 7-a-side Football coach in Brisbane. In 2006 I became the Queensland CP 7-a-side Football
coach on behalf of Sporting Wheelies & Disabled Association Queensland and
that is how this great adventure began.
2. When you first started this passion, were
there any prior opportunities or avenues for Australians of any disability to
participate or to be included in everyday Extra Curricular or Non Extra
Curricular activities?
When I originally became involved with Paralympic Football it wasn't
what one would call a passion I was just a guy who loved football & wanted
my son to have the best opportunity to participate in the sport. I didn't know anything about any of the other
sports that were available to those affected by Cerebral Palsy or any
disability and to be honest I didn't think about it. I have always believed that any person of any
ability has the right to participate in a sport of their choice.
At this time I didn't ever think of programs within schools &
sports clubs as I just thought it would be normal practice to include all who
wished to participate.
It
wasn't until I started the Brisbane Paralympic Football Program (initially
called the CP 7-a-side Football Program) at the Westside Football Club grounds that I found out how completely excluded those affected by a disability really were.
For about four years not many people came to join our program. I believe that this was because most of the parents
of children with a physical disability had already tried to join their local
clubs and had been told that their children could not participate so they didn’t
think there was anywhere they could take their children to participate in
football. To this day many parents are
still faced with this discriminatory attitude from many areas involved with
football. It was during this period that I realized how lucky we were as a
family to be involved with a Football Club like The Westside Football Club and the Grovely State School as they always
included Jarrod and our family the same as anyone else.
3. When did the Paralympic
Football Program start and how long has it been around for?
Were there any challenges in the beginning or has it been popular since
the start?
The CP 7-a-side Football Program started at The Westside Football Club in
the North West Brisbane suburb of Grovely in early 2006. With
the assistance of Sporting Wheelies & Disabled Association notifications
were sent out to all the Sporting Wheelies members to inform them that a
football program was now available. I
will always remember my excitement leading up to the day we launched the CP
7-a-side Football Program. I couldn't wait for all the people to arrive
and was very sad and extremely disappointment when only 2 other people attended
to join my son to have a kick of a football. Both athletes who turned up were adults, were
far more severely affected and were not at the level of ability that Jarrod was.
However, on this day that I learnt
about the determination and attitude that those affected by a disability have
and it really hit home, to this day I consider it one of the biggest lessons in
my life. It was also the day I realised that football should be available to
any person of any ability.
It wasn't until the end of 2006 when the then Vice President of the
Westside Football Club, Stewart Upton and another coach from Westside, John
Edwards offered their assistance that the program started to progress. Stewart and
John started to bring their families along and even though they didn't have
anyone affected by a disability they all joined in and suddenly we had more
people attending. From those early days of
the program we have slowly progressed both in membership, supporters and
sponsors until today where we are now considered the largest regional
Paralympic football program available to those of a different ability anywhere
in Australia
I believe that this progress was made possible through the inclusion of
all disabilities of any ability from within the community. In 2011 a young lad named Alex, with Down's
syndrome joined the Brisbane Paralympic Football Program. This was the start of our transition to being
a fully inclusive football program meaning we catered for people with both a
physical and intellectual disabilities. At this time we were also catering for
members with vision impairment, hearing impairment and amputees. We also have
children who are dealing with cancer and another family whose children have
been receiving blood transfusions every week for the last ten years!
There have always been challenges and there always will be so long as
we continue to take anybody with any disability of any ability into our
program. The challenges in developing
and adapting the program to suit the individual is one of continual learning
and one I gain immense satisfaction from. Nothing makes me happier or gives me greater joy than to see the smile
on the face of someone who achieves something they never thought they would,
like the child who takes their first steps away from a wheelchair or the looks
on their parents’ faces when they realise just what is possible for their
child.
Also, none of this would have been possible without the time,
dedication and passion from the many valued volunteers that participate. This program would not be what it is today
without their assistance. We now have
occupational Therapists, Australian Paralympic footballers, past and current
Brisbane Roar Women's League and Matilda players involved with Brooke Spence
being the inaugural ambassador of the Program.
4.
Before you started these programs like
the Brisbane Paralympic Football Program did it concern you how ostracized the
disabled youth of Australia were from the rest of their peers when it came to
participation in Sports?
It wasn't until my son was in need of
assistance that I started to research what was available for him to participate
in. To be honest I hadn't even heard of
Sporting Wheelies or of any other area that made sport available to those with
a disability. From experience I have learnt if you don't have a reason to know
about these areas then you aren't interested.
I don't mean that in a bad way I'm just saying that it's not until you
need to access services that you discover that there are not any available.
Jarrod has always been very lucky with
the support he has received through his schooling and the Westside Football
Club. Sadly, I can say that I don’t feel
this is normal practice from all areas.
Many areas within the education and
sporting systems do not encourage those with a disability to participate in
normal sporting activities, for example: A person in a wheelchair is not
invited to play football with the rest of the students/athletes in a school or
club. The attitude is you're in a
wheelchair you can't kick a football. Happily I have been able to demonstrate that a
person in a wheelchair can be included in any game of sport, it just needs the
person controlling the game to adapt the game so that everybody who wants to
participate can, no matter what their ability.
5. You mentioned a short time ago of another Inclusive program possibly
being established on the Gold Coast. What are your hopes and aspirations for that and
what are some of the activities participants can enjoy at this particular
program?
I have always aspired to have an Inclusive Football Program on the Gold
Coast because of the distance many participants from the there have had to
travel to attend the Brisbane Paralympic Football Program since its inception
in 2006. That is why I researched the
option of having a regular Inclusive Football Program operating from a Football
Club in that area. After looking at many
clubs I approached The Musgrave Football Club in Labrador at the northern end
of the Gold Coast. I selected this club
because I felt it had the family environment and the passion required to
operate a successful Inclusive Football Program within their community.
The Musgrave Football Club has now been offering a very successful
fully Inclusive Football Program to the Gold Coast community for 12 months and
I can only see it becoming more successful in the future.
With the assistance of many of their Club members volunteering this
club offers full training in the sport of football to those of all Disabilities
and of any Ability. I committed myself and
the BPFP coaching team to support this program for a period of 2 years to
assist them and to show how this wonderful game can be adapted so that all can
participate. It
is a credit to the administration, coaches and members of this wonderful Football
Club that this program is so successful and I must mention they completed this
without any Government funding. I am looking forward with enthusiasm to being
involved with the Musgrave Football Club's Inclusive Football Program during
the 2014 season.
It is also my ambition that another Inclusive Football Program will
begin at the Southern end of the Gold Coast therefore giving everyone from
within that community an opportunity to be involved with an Inclusive Football
Program.
6.
Sporting Wheelies also hold games of Goal
ball at Suncorp Stadium on Saturdays for people who are vision impaired how and
when did this particular sport start in Brisbane?
Goal ball was introduced to Queensland in 1982 and is a very popular
Paralympic Sport. The Goal ball program
now operates from the new YMCA facilities at Perry Park in Bowen Hills in Brisbane’s
inner north and information regarding this program can be obtained by
contacting Sporting Wheelies
7. Sporting Wheelies is a great
initiative for people with a physical disability. What are your thoughts of the Sporting
Wheelies programs and are you involved with the organisation?
Sporting Wheelies and Disabled have many programs available to those
with a physical disability or vision impairment. The major sports such as Athletics, Swimming and
many others are now the responsibility of those sports governing bodies and I
personally believe this is good for the specific sports as I don't feel
Sporting Wheelies has the resources to cover all sports.
I have been involved with Sporting Wheelies for many years and have
only recently finished my association with this organisation. Sadly a recent restructure of the association and
funding problems will not permit as much participation in the sport of Paralympic
football for 2014.
8. When did your association with The Brisbane Roar commence and how
did this come about?
Many years ago I invited the Operation Manager, Bruce Stalder, to drop
in and meet the families and athletes who participated in the Brisbane Paralympic
Football Program. Since that day The
Brisbane Roar Football Club have given us much needed assistance in the form of
advice, equipment and support which we are extremely grateful for.
I have also been involved with the Brisbane Roar community and events
area as a volunteer and eventually became employed in a position within these
areas. In 2013 after discussions with the Brisbane
Roar administration I was offered a position as the Head Coach of their new
community football program called the Possibility Program. This program was in line with the already very
popular Rapid Fire Programs that are available to able-bodied athletes.
The Possibility Program is made available to the disability community
in areas such as Special Education Units and Disability Services to give those
with a disability of any ability an opportunity to participate in the sport of
football.
9. Being the Head Coach of the
Brisbane Roar Football Club's Possibility Football Program, what are some
things that bring you great pride and joy in this role?
To have the honour of representing what I consider the leading 'A
'League Football Club in Australia is fantastic. I have had many wonderful moments since being
involved with this club. From volunteering at games and events to
actually filling a role within this club gives me great pride.
Now that I am able to take the Possibility Program Team out into the
community for me it's a dream come true. I am so grateful to The Brisbane Roar Football
Club for standing up and becoming a leader in providing a football clinic to
those with a disability within the community and hope in time that other clubs
throughout Australia take notice and follow their example.
With the assistance of a wonderful team of selected coaches I now
attend many events throughout the region and I cannot describe the satisfaction
we all get when we see people of different abilities' enjoying this game of
football that we all love.
10. There are many different
programs for children/adults with a disability to participate in. Tell us a bit
more about the Multicap program and how it came to be
During the early stages of promoting the Brisbane Roar Football Club’s
Possibility Program I visited the Multicap Disability Services and presented a
football clinic to their clients. After discussions Multicap
agreed to have the Brisbane Roar Football Club’s Possibility Football Program
as a physical activity program every week for 2013.
The Allways Access Football Program was formed at Multicap and this
very successful program will hopefully operate well into the future. Within
the agreement The Brisbane Roar Football Club Community Manager, Andy Pinches
arranged uniforms and memberships and the participants now attend all home
games on a regular basis.
11. What do you feel is the
biggest misconception from society when it comes to people with a disability?
I personally feel that many people when they meet someone with a
physical disability, especially a severe physical disability, automatically
assume that person is also intellectually disabled. A great example this would
be; if one were to meet Stephen Hawking and didn't know of this amazing man's
ability they would not imagine him being one of the smartest people in the
world. However these assumptions are not
exclusive to those with a physically disability. Many false assumptions are also made about
those with an intellectual disability.
Whilst they may often have difficulty communicating this does not mean
they cannot understand, especially if they are given time and treated with
patience and respect.
Another example of misconception is that society does not realise that
all people of any disability are able to partake in many activities as long as
it is adapted to meet their needs. I
believe the object should be to have any person of any ability involved in a
specific sport or activity for enjoyment and involvement and not necessarily to
become an elite athlete of that sport unless the person excels, then that‘s a
bonus.
12. Do you believe there is currently enough
funding in Queensland for various organisations helping the Disabled young and
old of Australia or would you like to see further advancements being made?
This can be a very controversial subject and one must be careful not to
upset the many organisations that offer services to those affected by a
disability.
Of course there is not enough funding available; one only needs to ask
the many organizations who offer services or people affected by a disability to
get the answer to this. All areas are continually fighting for funding
to improve their services or an individual is always looking for assistance to
fund a requirement.
Hopefully the creating of the National Disability Insurance Scheme will
improve this situation in the future.
The cost of equipment such as wheelchairs, shower chairs, walkers and
other such equipment should be reduced so all those who require this type of
equipment can afford to buy it. Maybe if the companies that supplied certain equipment or services were
assisted with funding, then the cost of the equipment or service would become
more available to all who required that specific piece of equipment or service.
In my opinion one other such possibility may be the introduction of a cap on
the pricing of these expensive pieces of equipment, in order to make them more
affordable and to stop the companies that make them from taking advantage of
the monies available to people through the new NDIS.
I personally believe that programs involved with the disability sector
must become self sufficient and not rely on funding. I attempt to assist all programs I am involved
with to become responsible for their own programs before they source funding. We at the Brisbane Paralympic Football
Program have never applied for Government funding in our short history. We have
been able to supply our program with equipment through support from the
community and interested corporate businesses since 2006. Way back then when we were just a fledgling
program we received donations of items such as uniforms from Edwards
Engineering, produce to sell at fund raising BBQ's from Trevor at Keperra Meat
Centre right through to the present day
where Dalton Hospitality are one of our most loyal and generous supporters. We
are also presently in discussions with a major transport company, Toll
Logistics, who are already showing their support for the program for 2014.
13. What are your long term hopes/inspirations/plans and Dreams
for the Brisbane Paralympic Football Program?
It is, and always has been, my dream that the Brisbane Paralympic
Football Program will become an example to all sporting areas. That those with
a disability of any ability can become involved with any sport, making their
sport truly inclusive. For this to happen
however attitudes must change, not just
verbally but meaningfully. People within
sporting areas not currently properly servicing people with a disability need
to have a change in attitude. This means
someone needs to educate them about what people with a disability are
about. That is they are simply people
with a different ability that need to be catered to. They need to be accepted
and respected and the programs simply need to be modified in order for these
people with a different ability to be able to participate. We have proven this is possible with our
program and it is another of my dreams that this idea is spread throughout
Australia until we are truly all inclusive.
In 2006 I started a football program at a little Football Club called
The Westside Football Club in Grovely in
North West Brisbane. We started
with 3 participants and that program is
now one of the largest, if not the
largest, regional disability football programs in Australia and is supported by
many from all over the world.
The support and interest shown by one of Australia's most successful A-League
clubs The Brisbane Roar Football Club means there is now a community football
program made available to those affected by a disability exactly the same as
any mainstream program they offer to the community.
Football is now available from many of the Disability Services such as
Multicap, Mental Health, Reclink Australia to mention a few. Special Education Units can now have football
activities at their venues the same as is offered to mainstream Schools. Just imagine if every A-League Club in
Australia followed their example and made this wonderful game available to all
within the community, it would without doubt become the most inclusive sport in
the country!
It is not my intentions to turn those with a disability into elite
footballers, it is simply my intention
to use football as a tool to assist them to feel part of the community. To
participate in a physical activity which in turn I believe will improve both
their physical and mental well-being. It is not a privilege for a
person affected by a disability to be a member of the community, it is their
right.
14.
Have you ever received any
official recognition for the work you do with the Brisbane Paralympic Football Program?
Yes. In 2008 and 2010 I received the Top Coach award from the
prestigious Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Queensland Awards. In 2013 I had the honour of winning the Lord
Mayor's Australia Day Award for Sport. Also in 2013 I was selected as one of the Queensland Finalists in both National
Awards - The Pride of Australia Medal and the Australian of the Year Award for
2014.
Information regarding The Brisbane
Paralympic Football Program can be gained from the very successful Facebook
page or by emailing manager bpfp@gmail.com or Jay Larkins: 0411134531
Information regarding The Brisbane Roar Football
Club's Possibility Program can be gained from possibility@brisbaneroar.com.au
or jlarkins@brisbaneroar.com.au
Interviewed by Alex Stilianos.
