Perth Voice Interactive

CHRIS BARTY was three-and-a-half years old before he could walk.

It took him two years to learn to operate a manual car.

Barty was born with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy he says is “equivalent to having the legs of an 85-year-old”.

Now 25, he has come on leaps and bounds and is the goalkeeper for Australia’s paralympic soccer team the Pararoos, captain of WA’s state parafootball side, and goalie for the able-bodied Joondanna Blues.

He says his involvement with the Pararoos was pivotal in building his confidence and drastically improving his physical ability.

Sadly, the future of the team is in doubt after the Australian Sports Commission cut virtually all the Pararoos’ funding ($175,000) because it reckoned it had no chance of qualifying for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.

“We are ranked tenth in the world, but that obviously wasn’t good enough for the commission.”

“To put it in perspective, the funding is half of what Wayne Rooney earns in a week,” Barty says. And Ian Thorpe is reported to have been paid $500,000 for his interview with Michael Parkinson in which he confirmed he was gay.

“The physical benefits to me over the last four years have been astronomical, I couldn’t even hop or skip before I started playing football,” Barty says.

“The team not only helps people with brain injuries achieve their sporting goals, but helps them achieve their life goals.

“My confidence and leadership skills have soared since I became involved.”

To play seven-a-side soccer with the Pararoos, a person must have cerebral palsy or an acquired brain injury, while being able to walk or run sufficiently to play.

Pararoos head coach Paul Brown says a petition calling for funding to be reinstated has garnered 50,000 signatures so far.

“I have been told that the ASC will revisit the situation after the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow,” he says.

“This small level of funding is crucial to the survival of the team.

“We are ranked tenth in the world, but that obviously wasn’t good enough for the commission.”

Federal sports minister Peter Dutton refuses to step in.

“Individual funding decisions are a matter for the independent ASC board,” spokesperson Andrew Blow says.

“I understand the director of the Australian Institute of Sport has already commenced discussions with the Pararoos and Football Federation Australia as the sport’s governing body.”

Barty made his debut for the Pararoos in 2012, has amassed 18 caps, and is the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.

His day job is helping seniors with disabilities.

“I hope they get the funding resolved and we can get back on track—the boys are a bit down right now, it’s been difficult to train the last couple of weeks,” Barty says.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK