Young Footballers with Diabetes take on the World, impress Sir Steve Redgrave
This is a guest post by Christine Michael (@cemichael on Twitter) who writes about diabetes, diet and health. Find out more about Christine Michael on LinkedIn.
Team GB at the Diabetes Junior Cup Football Championship, Geneva, Switzerland
A squad of young British footballers with Type 1 diabetes are celebrating success after taking on teams from 15 countries in the fourth annual Diabetes Junior Cup Football Championship, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland over August 20-23.
Three teams – 22 boys and two girls, aged from six to 17 – represented Great Britain in the event, which is organised by diabetes management specialist Medtronic. They were chosen after applying to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the Junior Cup’s UK charity partner. Some of the players enjoy football at school, while others already play for pro-youth academies at top clubs.
After two days of exciting matches in glorious sunshine, the GB Junior Team emerged as champions of their division, while the Senior Team were unlucky to be beaten in their final by Slovakia. The Kids Team finished a creditable fourth in their group, which was won by Spain.
A surprise highlight of the event was a visit from Sir Steve Redgrave, who gave a talk about how he continued his rowing career after being diagnosed with diabetes in 1997.
The five-time Olympic gold medallist told the players he was ‘hugely impressed’ with their footballing skills and how the teams had bonded through the competition.
‘Seeing so many of you playing sport is an inspiration to someone like me,’ he said. ‘No one would ever know you had a medical condition and that is how it should be.’ – Sir Steve Redgrave
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