In the latest in our series of interviews with members of the Scotland Cerebral Palsy national team, we catch up with Martin Hickman.
For Martin, his journey to international football started when he was studying.
Martin explains: “I was playing football in college one day when one of the coaches on placement identified me as a potential player for the Cerebral Palsy squad.
“I hadn’t really thought about playing football at an international level before - I played for my college team and I played quite a bit of seven- and five-a-side like anyone else. It was a great opportunity, and an invitation I couldn’t turn down.
“That was about about three years ago, and I’ve definitely not looked back.”
Since joining the Scotland CP team Hickman has been an integral of the squad over the years, representing his country all over the world.
“I’ve been to the last three major tournaments - the World Cup, the Intercontinental and the European Championships - and it’s been an incredible experience,” he said.
“Over the years I’ve been able to travel the world playing football - I can’t think of anything that can even come close to matching that.”
The Scotland squad, in accordance to the rules of Cerebral Palsy football that state that squads feature players of various classifications, contains an array of different experiences and backgrounds. This mix, Hickman believes, has created a strong bond in the team.
He explained: “Our team is a mixture of all sorts of players who come from different backgrounds and have different classifications.
“We show as a team what can be achieved despite what we’ve overcome, and we’ve achieved some unbelievable things together.”
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