at the Portel club, a disabled child plays with able-bodied

At 9 years old, Tom is suffering from a rare genetic disease. This prevents him from growing and causes joint pain. But at the Portel club (Pas-de-Calais), he can train with the other children. “He’s an adorable kid. (…) When he doesn’t come to football, it’s because he’s in care”explains Tony Rageot, head of youth teams at Stade Portelois, who salutes the young player’s diligence. “If we don’t do it, we think who will do it for Tom?”asks Cyrille Filliette, president of youth training at Stade Portelois.

On the court, Tom is happy to show off the dribbling he has learned. His father, Thomas Peurel, confides “When we learned of his disability, we would never have thought he could play football. It was a real challenge for us, but also for him”. After practice, Tom struggles to walk because he’s been so involved. He is the only disabled child in the club and intends to continue.