Hall of fame

Martin Sinclair

Martin Sinclair was inducted into the Cerebral Palsy Sport Hall of Fame 2019 for his incredible achievements in para football and services to disability cp football.

Martin is an English footballer who plays for the England Cerebral Palsy team, as well as being a SaintsAbility Development Officer for Saints Foundation. Sinclair’s catchphrase is “It’s about showcasing players ability, rather than their disability”.

Martin was born with cerebral palsy but still had ambitions of playing football. As a teenager he fell off a slide, resulting in the ball and socket coming out of his hip; the injury was initially diagnosed as a damaged ligament, but when he went to hospital for an operation on his hand an x-ray revealed the real injury. Martin went on to use a wheelchair for three years and had a hip replacement at the age of 21.

Whilst his brother Scott was playing for Plymouth Argyle, Martin was introduced to manager Ian Holloway who offered him a role coaching in the football in the community programme. It was during this that he found out about Plymouth’s disability team. From here Martin went on to play CP Specific football.

Achievements

Martin was selected to be a part of the Great Britain team that won a bronze medal at the 2010 Paralympic World Cup and a silver medal at the 2012 event.

In 2012, Martin was selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Summer Paralympic Games as part of a twelve-player squad for the 7-a-side football event. Great Britain faced Brazil, the United States and Ukraine in the preliminary stage of the competition, with all matches being held at the Riverbank Arena. Martin and his brother Scott became the first brothers to represent Great Britain at a Paralympic and Olympic Games in the same year.

Martin has over 50 caps for England and in 2016 was an inductee to the National Football MuseumFootball for All Hall of Fame.

Martin came out of retirement in 2016 and in 2018 was selected to represent England at the IFCPF European Championships in Netherland. In July 2019 Martin was again selected to represent England at the IFCPF Cerebral Palsy Football World Cup in Spain.

The Cerebral Palsy Sport Hall of Fame recognises outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of disability sport. Importantly it recognises individuals who have endeavoured to promote the needs of people with cerebral palsy through sport and how sport can transform lives. 

These people have excelled in or been pioneers in the development of disability sports for people with cerebral palsy. 

Boy in swimming pool
Boy in swimming pool

Martin Sinclair

Martin Sinclair was inducted into the Cerebral Palsy Sport Hall of Fame 2019 for his incredible achievements in para football and services to disability cp football.

Martin is an English footballer who plays for the England Cerebral Palsy team, as well as being a SaintsAbility Development Officer for Saints Foundation. Sinclair’s catchphrase is “It’s about showcasing players ability, rather than their disability”.

Martin was born with cerebral palsy but still had ambitions of playing football. As a teenager he fell off a slide, resulting in the ball and socket coming out of his hip; the injury was initially diagnosed as a damaged ligament, but when he went to hospital for an operation on his hand an x-ray revealed the real injury. Martin went on to use a wheelchair for three years and had a hip replacement at the age of 21.

Whilst his brother Scott was playing for Plymouth Argyle, Martin was introduced to manager Ian Holloway who offered him a role coaching in the football in the community programme. It was during this that he found out about Plymouth’s disability team. From here Martin went on to play CP Specific football.

Achievements

Martin was selected to be a part of the Great Britain team that won a bronze medal at the 2010 Paralympic World Cup and a silver medal at the 2012 event.

In 2012, Martin was selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Summer Paralympic Games as part of a twelve-player squad for the 7-a-side football event. Great Britain faced Brazil, the United States and Ukraine in the preliminary stage of the competition, with all matches being held at the Riverbank Arena. Martin and his brother Scott became the first brothers to represent Great Britain at a Paralympic and Olympic Games in the same year.

Martin has over 50 caps for England and in 2016 was an inductee to the National Football MuseumFootball for All Hall of Fame.

Martin came out of retirement in 2016 and in 2018 was selected to represent England at the IFCPF European Championships in Netherland. In July 2019 Martin was again selected to represent England at the IFCPF Cerebral Palsy Football World Cup in Spain.

The Cerebral Palsy Sport Hall of Fame recognises outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of disability sport. Importantly it recognises individuals who have endeavoured to promote the needs of people with cerebral palsy through sport and how sport can transform lives. 

These people have excelled in or been pioneers in the development of disability sports for people with cerebral palsy. 

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