Tamsin, an adult with cerebral palsy, tells the story about finding her passion with Para sport

Hi everyone, my name is Tamsin Colley and I’m an elite Cerebral Palsy Footballer! I am also studying Exercise Physiology at the University of New South Wales in the hope of getting better equipped to help other people with disabilities improve their lives through physical activity. I’m highly motivated in both my sport and studies and have received several High Distinctions so far at university. In this blog, I’m going to share some of my journey in Para sport in the hope that it helps someone else with a disability to realise that they too can pursue their sporting dreams.

I was introduced to disability sport at the age of six, just one year after I learned to walk independently. I used a wheelchair and walker for the first five years of my life as a brain tumour that I had removed at 18 months old left me with ataxic cerebral palsy. The first several years of my sporting career were spent competing in para-athletics, as that was one of the main sports available for ambulant people with physical disabilities when I was growing up. I progressed through the school system and was breaking National Primary School Athletics records for my classification by the time I was ten!

This was a dream come true, and an experience I will never forget! Then in the following years, I won several international medals in the World Juniors, Melanesian Championships, Arafura Games, and Oceania Championships. In 2020, I was honoured to be chosen by Cathy Freeman to re-light the cauldron for the 20-year anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Games.

I had also played football when I was growing up, but there wasn’t a pathway for females with physical disabilities to progress in that sport yet. In 2022, I was so excited to hear about the creation of the ParaMatildas, Australia’s female Cerebral Palsy Football team. It was awesome to see people like me getting opportunities to progress to a high level in football, so it reignited my love for the sport and dream of playing for Australia. I started going to Football NSW Para training sessions and found an inclusive local club Hurlstone Park Wanderers, who are so supportive of me!

Early last year, I was called up to a ParaMatildas training camp, then later I got selected for the ParaMatildas team to compete in the Para Asia Cup. We won the tournament and I even scored four goals. It left me hungry for more, so I ramped-up my training. I am aiming to get selected for the next ParaMatildas training camp then ultimately the IFCPF World Cup, either in November this year or future years. Recently, I was thrilled to be awarded both the NSW and Australian Player of the Year Award for Female Football Week.

If you told little me in a wheelchair that she would represent Australia seven times by the age of 21, she wouldn’t have believed you, but you never know until you try!

I love to spread the word about Para sport, both through my social media and through being an ambassador at the Cerebral Palsy Sporting and Recreation Association. I do some media work for them, and both participate and help out at their CPSARA Connect Multi-Sport Social Days for People with a Disability a few times a year. I also ran a disability athletics carnival with an adult mentor in 2017, and it is just so great to see other people with disabilities giving Para sport a go.

Thanks so much for reading! If you want to follow my journey, you can follow my Instagram @tamsincolley – or just search up “Tamsin Colley” on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, or TikTok.

For more information about sports and recreation as a person with cerebral palsy, My CP Guide hosts a variety of information resources. Browse the Leisure & Recreation category on My CP Guide to find other relevant resources.