Dunboyne man Heffernan called to Ireland squad

Dunboyne man Andrew Heffernan has been selected on the Republic of Ireland Cerebral Palsy squad that will compete in the 2023 IFCPF European Championships, which is scheduled to kick off on Friday 2nd June in Italy.

Goalkeeper Heffernan is one of five new call-ups to the squad who flew out to Italy today.

Currently occupying the eighth position in global rankings, the Irish team braces for a tough tournament as they have been placed in Group B, pitted against the squads of Ukraine, Scotland and Germany.

Group A comprises Spain, the Netherlands, host nation Italy, and England, shaping an equally competitive field in the other half of the tournament.

Ireland will open their 2023 tournament against Scotland on 2nd June at 3.30pm, at the CFF Tino Carta Stadium.

Following this, they will confront Germany at midday just two days later, on 4th June. The team will round off the group stages against Ukraine on 6th June, with the match starting at 6pm.

This will not be Ireland's first venture onto the competitive stage of the IFCPF European Championships.

In the 2018 competition, Ireland delivered a string of impressive victories.

They dominated Denmark with an 8-0 victory, overcame Germany with a 5-1 scoreline, shutout Northern Ireland with a 4-0 result, and eked out a narrow 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the group stages.

The Irish side ultimately clinched the third place, thanks to a triumphant 2-1 rematch against the Netherlands.

More recently, however, the Irish side had a more challenging run in the IFCPF World Cup, where they secured the 7th place.

As the team prepares for the upcoming European Championships, fans and competitors alike will be watching closely to see if they can channel their 2018 success in this new challenge.

All matches are set to be streamed live on the 2023 IFCPF European Championships YouTube channel here

Ireland CP Squad - European Championships

Goalkeepers: Mark Barry, Andrew Heffernan

Defenders: Joseph Markey, Luke Evans, Carl McKee, Darragh Ruane, Eoin Nolan

Midfielders: Gary Messett, Ryan Nolan, Jimmy Naughton, Warren Morrissey

Forwards: Dillon Sheridan, Sean Daly, Richard Carroll

Fixtures - Group B

02/06 - Scotland v Ireland, 3.30pm

04/06 - Ireland v Germany, 12.30pm

06/06 - Ireland v Ukraine, 6pm