ParaMatildas player Nicole Christodoulou met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday, October 27.
Christodoulou, along with other players from the ParaMatildas and Pararoos, also met with the Federal Minister for Sport Anika Wells and the Federal Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Bill Shorten.
Great to meet the @Pararoos and @paramatildas today at Parliament House with Minister for Sport @AnikaWells. pic.twitter.com/4uycWmFLpL
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 27, 2022
In a post on LinkedIn, Christodoulou said the meetings gave the group a chance to share their stories with the Ministers and speak about the ParaMatildas – Football Australia’s first national team for women and girls with cerebral palsy (CP), acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke.
“All three members of parliament expressed immense support for our teams and our overall achievements,” her post read.
The footballer also stressed that Minister Shorten “spent time listening to all of our stories, the issues we face everyday as people living with neurological conditions, the benefits of football and how it has helped us develop our cognitive abilities and how we live day to day outside of our football to work and study full time whilst being elite athletes.”
“This was one of the biggest highlights of my life and taking part on my 30th birthday, will definitely be one that I will cherish and remember forever,” Christodoulou said.
“By making our voices heard in parliament, we hope that this helps with driving change to the world and to our country, to continue providing opportunities and inclusivity to our ever changing society for the present and the future generations yet to come.”
Christodoulou joined the ParaMatildas earlier this year. She experienced two strokes at the age of 21 which left her paralysed down the left side of her body. But this never stopped her from achieving her football dreams.
