By Tate Papworth
A Taylors Lakes soccer star has amassed a glittering resume and is now dreaming of gold.
Michael Prapas is a member of the Victorian seven-a-side Cerebral Palsy State Football Team, which was recently nominated as a finalist in the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards after the nationals.
Michael’s father George Prapas said it’s been an incredibly rewarding journey.
“He initially started off playing Auskick, but didn’t enjoy that as much, things like picking up the ball with his hands was a bit of a challenge,” he said.
“We had some friends suggest he give football [soccer] a go so we took him down to Spring Hills, who were very accommodating and it grew from there.”
Michael transferred to Northcote when he got to under-12s, and doors started opening.
“When he got to under-12s we always knew it would be a bit of a challenge because they shift to full size pitches,” George said.
“His skills were good enough to match it with them all, but speed and agility was a bit of an issue.
“Northcote City run a disability team, so we took him down there where he played for two years.”
Michael was given the opportunity to train with the Victorian side while at Northcote.
His skills were enough to earn him a spot on the team at nationals last year.
“Nationals was a big learning experience for him, but he loved it,” George said.
“He absolutely loved it. He’s currently training with them with the hopes of getting selected to go back to nationals this year.
“He’s got three main goals set for this year, finish year 11 – that’s more his parents’ goal – get picked to play for Victoria and his long-term goal is to play for the Pararoos, the national team.”
