The Dutch amputee football team won Group D of the Nations League. – Photo: KNVB Media
The Orange amputee football players won the Nations League group D in Fife, Scotland last weekend. With this performance, this Orange Para team has secured itself from the 2024 European Championships in France, a place in the first three was a requirement for this. This victory also promoted them to group C.
To participate in the Nations League, field players must have an amputation of one of the legs. Goalkeepers must have an amputation of one of the arms. The Dutch Amputee Football team is broadcast by the Amputation Football Foundation and is supported by the KNVB.
Nations League
The Nations League Amputee Football is a new event. Due to the inability to participate in the European Championships in 2021, the Netherlands was included in Group D. The Dutch team competed against host country Scotland, Albania, Azerbaijan and Kosovo.
The Netherlands started the Nations League with a match against Azerbaijan, the big unknown in this group. The Dutch started strongly and at halftime it was already 3-0 for the Netherlands. Ultimately, the Dutch team won 5-0, thanks to goals from Robin ter Veld (2x), Wesley van Ingen, Sheng Groen and Ricardo Jas.
Later in the day, the Netherlands played against Albania, a relatively new team on the international playing field. This was also reflected in the results. The Netherlands rolled over the opponent. In the end it became 15-0, with eight goals from Wesley van Ingen, four from Leroy Pelzer and a hat trick from Sheng Groen.
— Wesley van Ingen scores one of his eight goals against Albania.
The matches against Scotland and Kosovo were scheduled for Sunday. The score was 7-0 against the Scots, with four goals from Leroy Pelzer, two from Wesley van Ingen and Youri Pelzer also scored his first goal of the tournament. Kosovo was defeated 9-0. Wesley van Ingen scored a hat trick, Youri Pelzer and Robin ter Veld both scored two goals and Guus van Aggelen also scored.
With four wins and zero goals conceded, national coach Adri van Ingen looked back on the Nations League campaign with a positive feeling. “As a team we performed very well by playing four very good matches,” said the national coach. Wesley van Ingen was named attacker of the tournament. Leroy Pelzer named player of the tournament.
— Leroy Pelzer was named the best player of the tournament.
European championship
With the Nations League win, the Orange Amputee Football team achieved two important goals: it qualified for group C and qualified for the 2024 European Championship. In group C of the Nations League, the Netherlands will compete against Ukraine, Israel, Greece and Germany in 2025. The European Amputee Football Championship will take place from May 31 to June 9, 2024 in Haute-Savoie, France.
Nobody Offside
In collaboration with the EAFF (the international association for amputee football), the KNVB has started a program to draw attention to prosthetic and amputee football. In the Nobody Offside program, the KNVB organizes training for children with an amputation and prosthesis.
Him the Looper
Would you like to know more about the Nobody Offside program? Please contact us!
The post first appeared on www.knvb.nl