​The draw for the first ever EAFF European Championships took place this afternoon in Riva, Turkey. Europe's first ever major Amputee Football tournament will take place in Turkey from the 1st to the 10th of October this year. 12 teams from across the continent will compete for Europe's biggest prize. The tournament represents the culmination of the incredible work that has been done across Europe in developing the sport of Amputee Football since the establishment of the EAFF in 2015. With the support of UEFA, in the space of two years, the EAFF has helped European Amputee football reach unimaginable heights. Thanks to the EAFF more and more nations are taking up the sport in Europe and in October 4 of the 12 teams competing at the European Championships will be appearing in a major international tournament for the first time. The tournament also promises to be of an incredibly high standard. 3 of the top 4 nations in World Amputee Football were named 1st seeds for the draw (Russia #1, Turkey #3 and Poland #4).

Earlier today Ireland were drawn in Group C alongside World Champions Russia, neighbours England and emerging Greece. Ireland have never faced Russia or Greece in an International fixture while they have played England on numerous occasions, most recently at the Amp Futbol Cup in Warsaw in June. The squad will acknowledge that they've have been drawn in the toughest of the 3 groups but will remain confident of achieving the aims they have set out for the tournament. The squad have been training regularly this summer and will attend several more training camps before October to ensure that they are fully prepared for the challenge that lies ahead.

The tournament kicks off on the 2nd of October as hosts Turkey play Germany in the opening fixture. Ireland's group fixtures are as follows:

3rd October 17.00 (15.00 Irish time)  v. Russia
4th October 16.30 (14.30 Irish time)  v. England
5th October 12.00 (10.00 Irish time)  v. Greece

The IAFA International management team of Nick Harrison and Declan Considine announced the Irish squad that will compete at the first ever Amputee Football European Championships in Turkey earlier today. Those selected have been training tirelessly throughout the year, meeting monthly at the University of Limerick and doing their utmost to earn their places on the flight to Turkey at the end of this month. Check out our video for a taste of what happens when the IAFA International squad get together and see the squad that will represent Ireland at the European Championships revealed.

International Squad, European Championships 2017:

International Managers: Nick Harrison, Declan Considine

Goalkeepers: James Conroy, Justin Guiney, Patrick Hutton

Defenders: David Saunders, Kevin Cahillane, Simon Baker

Midfielders: Garry Hoey, Alan Wall, Kevan O'Rourke, Éanna Durham

Strikers: James Boyle, Neil Hoey, Christy McElligott

Huge thanks to mshotstudio.pl for the fantastic video.