It was the opportunity of a lifetime for Grampians Giants footballer Matt Glare when he took to the field at Etihad Stadium last Friday night.
Glare was part of a group of 40 players from the Football Integration Development Association that participated in a 15 minute game of football at half-time of the EJ Whitten Legends game.
Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly access all-abilities program manager Matt Berry said it was a fantastic opportunity for Glare and all the other players to experience the atmosphere of Etihad stadium.
“It was brilliant,” he said.
“The players got to go into the rooms, play out on the ground and then mix with some of the legends that were playing that night.
“All of the players had a great time.”
All of the players had a great time
- Matt Berry
Berry said players were picked that love football but may not get an opportunity like such as the one they had otherwise.
“The players that were out there can go unrecognised sometimes,” he said.
“We wanted to give people who might not get too many chances an opportunity to be out there.”
Berry said having the FIDA players able to participate in front of a big crowd shows how far the competition has developed.
“It shows how much work all of our clubs have put in to boost the profile of all abilities sport in Victoria,” he said.
