AS you know, I love to promote Trafford and those people in it who make us all proud.

So this week I would like to introduce you to Graham Brade from Stretford who is the goalkeeper for the Manchester City Amputee Football Team.

He also plays for the England Amputee team along with Adam McGuire and Shaun Kelly, also from Stretford.

After being invited to meet Graham for coffee and a chat about Amputee Football, I hope to enlighten you about this little known international sport.

Teams consist of a seven-man squad - one goalkeeper and six out-field players and it is played on AstroTurf.

Goals are 2.2 metres high by 5 metres wide, and goalkeepers are not allowed out of their area.

Out-field players are leg deficient and play on crutches and goal keepers, like Graham, are arm deficient and can only use one hand.

There is no offside rule, and if a player uses his groin area to stop and control the ball it is deemed as the equivalent of a hand ball in regular football.

Graham, who lost his arm at birth, has been playing amputee football for over 10 years.

He started out after meeting an amputee in his local gym, who invited him along to try it out.

He currently plays for the Manchester City Amputee Football Team. They compete as a team in various leagues, one of which is the national Amputee Football League and Graham also plays for the England national squad.

Over the years, he has played with varying success in many International games, coming a close runner-up last year in the European Cup in Turkey.

Graham played in the the cup final in Istanbul, at a packed Besitkas Stadium in front of 42,000 fans, which he said “was an amazing experience”.

This year Graham has been training hard with the England team, who meet regularly for a gruelling fitness testing and training weekend, on top of his own personal fitness schedule.

You may well have seen him jogging around Stretford and Urmston.

The results speak for themselves, as three weeks ago he competed in the Amp Futbol Cup in Poland where his team defeated World Champions Russia 1-0 in the final.

The real test for Graham and his team is on the October 23, when they depart for the World Cup in Mexico.

Graham has high hopes, but he doesn’t take anything for granted.

He said: “We will play each game as it comes, and who knows, football could be coming home!”

I would like to congratulate Graham on his achievements in Amputee Football and I wish him and his team all the very best for the World Cup in Mexico

I’d also like to thank him for taking the time to chat with me and for bringing to our attention this little known and under promoted sport.