Hari's Journey to the Loughborough Para Football Team

From a Difficult Start to Finding His Team: Hari's Journey to the Loughborough Para Football Team

Hari, a Loughborough CP Football team player, shares his football journey – from a tough start in mainstream football, through several disability football programmes, to finding a home at Loughborough.

I had a tough start in life after having a bleed on the brain before birth and undergoing surgeries to reduce the pressure on my brain. I was diagnosed with both hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, and I am more affected on my right side, with limited motor skills and strength there. After too much exercise, I become clumsy and am prone to trips and falls.

At five years old, I wanted to try playing football. I attended a mainstream team training session, but the experience went badly - some of the children knew that I had a shunt and tried to trip me or push me over, putting me at risk of damaging it, and it was tough for my parents. When I was six, Northampton Town in the Community held a disability football fun day, and that experience changed my relationship with the sport. Being around other disabled players and working with coaches who understood their needs helped me fall back in love with football.

My family travelled from Grantham to Northampton every Friday night for training, regardless of the weather, and I was proud to wear the Northampton shirt and represent my team in matches. During this period, I played against teams including Aston Villa at Villa Park, as well as Chelsea, Reading and Brighton, and I also played Arsenal at Chelsea's training ground when they hosted disability tournaments.

I initially played in the BOBi League, a pan-disability league run by the Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire FAs and usually hosted in Oxford. My team later joined the Leicester Inclusive Football League, where we went undefeated during our first season – an achievement I was particularly proud of. Whilst playing for Northampton, I was invited to an England CP trial, which I passed, and I was placed on one of the Para Hubs run by Derby's FA. At the same time, I trained with Derby County's CP team and progressed through to regional level.

At 14, I moved on from Northampton and joined Bingham Outlaws, an adult pan-disability team based just outside Nottingham. I went on to play for them in the East Midlands pan-disability league and continue to train and play with the team.

I had been looking for a CP team where I would feel comfortable playing football with disabled people, and heard about the Loughborough Para Football team. After making contact with Alasdair, the Loughborough Programme Manager, we met him at an England session at Loughborough University and agreed that I would join. I love playing for the Loughborough Para Football team, it's really good fun - I particularly value the team spirit and togetherness, as well as the encouragement to do my best and train at my best performance level.

The standard of coaching is of the highest level and the facilities are world class – something I have really enjoyed, and it motivates me to strive to become a better player. I feel really lucky to play for the team! The opportunities available to me have been hugely important, and being able to play in the National CP League is something I have always wanted to do. I have made some amazing friends and am really looking forward to the future of the group and the opportunities we have to progress.

Hari's story is part of an ongoing series about the players of Loughborough Para Football. Read Jack's and Alicia's stories.