The Republic of Ireland's Amputee international team is set to get back to action this weekend as a World Cup cycle begins with eyes firmly fixed on the 2026 tournament.
Ireland is set to host Scotland in a home international friendly on Saturday, January 18, with kick-off at 2 pm, at Rock Celtic FC (Sandy Lane) in Haggardstown, Dundalk. It is the first match of 2025 as the team begins their preparations for the 2026 World Cup tournament, which they qualified for through the European Championships in 2024.
One of the players expected to feature this weekend is goalkeeper James Conroy, who is one of the most experienced players on the team, with 49 caps so far in an incredible international career. Conroy was born missing his right hand and forearm and qualifies for amputee football due to his condition. He is ideally suited to the goalkeeper position in amputee football, despite having played outfield in mainstream football throughout his childhood and early adult life.
Through a chance meeting with FAI Development Officer Christy McElligott, Conroy got into amputee international football and it has seen him travel to major tournaments across the world. Conroy has praised the impact the sport has had on his life and has encouraged anyone with a similar condition to give it a go and get in touch.
"It's hard to put into words. I get emotional when I think about it; it has meant everything, playing for Ireland and representing my country with the team," said Conroy.
"It is an amazing sport and it has changed my life so much for the better and if there are other people out there in a similar situation, I would really encourage them to come and give it a go.
"You've got one arm, I've got one leg..." š
Meet James Conroy, the goalkeeper for Ireland's Amputee side & @bfcdublin, who is part of the squad to face Scotland tomorrow in an international friendly
A teacher at the @NLNIreland, we speak to James on how football has helped himā¦ pic.twitter.com/dy5pSL7wDH— Ireland Football ā½ļøš®šŖ (@IrelandFootball) January 17, 2025
"I'm competitive by nature and it has given me the ability to test myself against the very best in the world on the international stage. It's unbelievable really, the travel to places for tournaments like Istanbul and Mexico, representing our nation. It's a nice feeling; my friends and family are very proud of it as well and we all get amazing support doing it, which is great.
"It has prolonged my football career as well and I want to play as long as I can and at 43, I'm still doing that and I wouldn't be doing that without international football."
Conroy, who plays his club football for Boheians and is a teacher at the National Learning Network Centre in Navan, is excited to play a rare match on home soil this weekend with most of the fixtures scheduled outside of the country due to tournaments and opponent availability.
Rock Celtic are set to host the match between Ireland and Scotland and Conroy hopes a local crowd can come out and show their support for the team.
"It's going to be an interesting game. We know the Scots really well, as some of their team come and play in our league so we know what to expect but it is new ground as we've never played each other before," Conroy continued.
"We qualified for the World Cup last year in the European Championships so 2025 marks the start of that cycle for the tournament in 2026. We're looking for minutes on the pitch, getting people to think about amputee football once again and switch on to that, getting that focus back.
"To be playing at home is great, though and a big thank you to Rock Celtic for hosting the match and I know they're really pushing it in the local area as well, so it would be great to get a crowd down to watch. We don't often get to play at home, as a lot of our matches would be away with tournaments, etc., so it's great that we can play at home and in front of a home crowd.
"If people could come out to support us, it would mean a lot so hoping for an Irish win and looking forward to the test."
