O’Flaherty bound for Brazil after making Irish soccer squad

By Patrick Flaherty

THE Rio Olympics may have come and gone, but for Mervue native Eric O’Flaherty, the real games begins on September 8 when he is a part of the first ever Irish team to compete in the CP Football event at this year’s Paralympics.

Eric has Cerebral Palsy which is caused by abnormal development or damage to the part of the brain that controls movement, balance and posture, making it more difficult to play football.

Players in the team are categorised into four groups depending on their classification, C5, C6, C7, and C8, depending on their level of disability and how it affects their movement on the pitch, with Eric categorised as a C7, a player which doesn’t look too bad at first glance.

“I’m a class 7, which means one side of my body is weaker than the other side. It’s kind of the only class out of the four you wouldn’t notice very much. I have no problem using my right (the effected side) foot or hand. It doesn’t really affect me on the pitch.”

While the cerebral palsy has had little effect on his ability to play football, it did take its toll on how he played other sports growing up particularly gaelic football, which he played a lot of when he was younger.

“I used to play a lot of hurling and football. But I wouldn’t have been able to hand pass the ball when I was playing gaelic, so I would have to kick it to somebody five yards away. But soccer was never a problem for me.”

The Rio Games won’t be Eric’s first taste of a major tournament, having already contested many major tournaments, including the 2015 World championship in England, where the Mervue man got one of his four goals so far for Ireland, in a crucial tie against Australia.

“Just before it I hit a shot from 40 yards into the net, but they told me I was two yards over the line when I hit it. So It was nice to bounce straight back with a goal. I went off celebrating after and destroyed my two knees for the rest of the tournament sliding across the ground. I was delighted to get it, as it helped us get out of the group stages.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.