March is CP Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness for the estimated 17 million people worldwide living with cerebral palsy. SDS are keen to encourage those who have Cerebral Palsy to get involved in physical activity and sport, to lead active lives and enjoy the physical, social and psychological benefits that it brings.
One such person who has led the way in CP sport for many years is footballer, Jonny Paterson. ‘JP’ has collected 102 caps for the Scotland CP international team in a long and successful career. We spoke with him about his journey in football from the early years to his record breaking 100th cap and a message to those living with CP who may want to get involved in the sport.
What were your early experiences in football?
JP was obsessed with football since a very young age and like many kids was kicking a ball about as soon as he could. When he was old enough he joined a mainstream club where his dad was in charge of the team and enjoyed playing and developing his talent. At first he found very few barriers, but as he got older he found some obstacles in his path as the standard improved where he felt that some found it ‘difficult for inclusion and the acceptance of disability’. This included not getting into the school team despite being good enough to play, where he felt the coach was scared to manage him. JP believes this is a ‘matter of education’ for coaches and practitioners, which he believes is something that is changing for the better now with a better understanding of inclusive practice.
JP is keen to promote CP football to all those who would qualify to participate, where he feels there is work to be done to get the message out there about the pathway and opportunities to get involved. He mentions how when he moves back into mainstream settings from the Scotland CP squad, there is still an issue in ‘getting the recognition it deserves’ and attaining enough minutes in mainstream football. He recognises there have been thoroughly positive developments, but reports that there is still work to be done.
Tell us about your experience as an International footballer
After initially being recommended to get involved in the Special Olympics when he was a young player, he was ‘quite adamant and stubborn’ about not getting involved and remaining in mainstream football. One day however he looked on the SFA website where he was shown a clip of CP football which caught his interest and after a quick phone call to then Development Officer, Stuart Sharp, he was invited the following week to a training camp. Seeing his talent straight away, it was only a month later that he was turning out internationally for Scotland in the European Championships in Dublin. Describing it as a ‘bit of a whirlwind’ he hasn’t looked back since, demonstrating the potential to move quickly throughout the CP football pathway.
Since then the programme has gone from strength to strength and proved to be an ‘incredible journey and very grateful to have been involved with it for so long’.
Since his first cap, JP has had an incredible career in the sport, competing at 3 Paralympic Games, captaining his country and travelling the world doing what he loves. In that time he has amassed a record breaking 102 caps, with his 100th cap against Northern Ireland last year marked with a goal in a 5-0 win. JP is keen to point out that Scotland’s most capped International player in the mainstream game is Kenny Dalglish, also with 102 caps, and is looking forward to moving ahead of him soon outright as Scotland’s outright most capped player across the sport.
What opportunities are there to get involved in CP football?
JP is keen to promote the opportunities that are out there and increasing all of the time. ‘The pathway is there, it’s just now about putting people in place to find out’.
With the new pathway announced this year for CP footballers (see details below) there are opportunities from participation to performance level to get involved and play football.
JP is keen to see as many avenues targeted as possible to grow the participant base, including in amateur clubs and mainstream schools – similar to his own experience. Once the base is there, the talent pool will grow as he recognises that with himself and others in the squad reaching the twilight of their careers, there is a need to also develop players capable of taking his place too.
Message to those who would like to get involved?
JP believes that those who take the opportunity to get involved in CP football will not look back once they take the step to getting involved. He admits that it can be daunting but once you have the confidence in taking a chance then ‘you’ll be made to feel so comfortable straight away’ and no matter your ability level there will be somewhere appropriate you can fit in along the pathway to enjoy playing football.
For those that want to push on and test their talent, JP mentions that there is a real possibility ‘you could represent your country, and who wouldn’t want that playing football?’.
JP has had a brilliant career that has taken him on an ‘adventure of a lifetime’, and whilst getting towards the end of his career he acknowledges that ‘this football team changed my whole world. I wouldn’t take my disability away because it led to so many opportunities.’
If you too would like to experience the life-changing effects of playing the game, then now is the time to get involved.
2022 sees the launch of the CP player pathway in Scotland for players of all ages and ability where you can get involved in the the following:
Participation Group
Development Squad
National Team
If you have CP/Stroke/Acquired Brain Injury we would love to hear from you. Please email: admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com
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