A teen from Bushey who had his lower leg amputated when he was 14 months old is calling on the community to help him represent England this summer.
Rio Woolf, 13, was born with a rare condition meaning he was missing his tibia, knee and ankle joint, but he has not let this hold him back from becoming a football superstar.
He has been a member of the England Amputee Football Association (EAFA) for the last seven years and hopes to attend the European Amputee Football Federation (EAFF) junior camp this summer in July.
Rio and his team have been selected for the EAFF camp in Tbilisi, Georgia this summer but need help fundraising for the trip.
Although all the expenses are paid for at the camp in Tbilisi, each EAFA Junior and their accompanying parent/carer has to pay for their own flights from the UK to Georgia via Istanbul, and as the airfare for two return tickets is £960 + travel insurance, Rio is fundraising to pay for his flights and to subsidise the cost for his fellow selected EAFA Junior friends so that the rest of the team can all travel to Tbilisi.
Speaking about how much attending the camps mean to him, Rio said: “Attending the EAFF Junior Camps has helped me to develop so much over the last six years, both on and off of the pitch.
“I’ve become much more confident, not just as a player – graduating from playing on my prosthetic running blade to then using my crutches – but also as a person – making so many new friends from other countries.
“Since my very first amputee football training session when I was 7, my ambition has been to play for the EAFA Seniors when I’m old enough and to represent my country at European and International amputee football tournaments – I’m also hoping that the sport will become classified to be part of future Paralympic Games so that I can compete with EAFA at LA2028! Going to the Georgia 2022 EAFF Junior Camp this summer will be a crucial part of my development to reach that goal!”
To help fund the cost of the flights for Rio and his EAFA Junior team mates to attend the Georgia 2022 EAFF Junior Camp, please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/riowoolfamputeefootballjuniorcampgeorgia2022
You can also follow Rio on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram.
Photo Credit: LAJ Photography
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