Harry MacDonald targeting Para glory in 2025

Harry MacDonald is hoping to enjoy a strong 2025, as England target success in the IBSA Partially-Sighted Futsal World Championship later this year.

The Para Lions ace was part of the England squad who finished third at last November’s IBSA Partially-Sighted EUROs in Turkiye.

And with another international tournament coming up later in the year, it represents a chance for MacDonald and his squad mates to aim for honours again with preparation now geared towards the tournament next autumn.

"Coming together as a squad now, we really enjoy that and get a lot from it,” he said.

"Previously, we didn't really see enough of each other between games and we had a camp maybe once a month, whereas now it's twice a month and we have that continuity of building towards something as a team.

"We have to believe in ourselves as a squad and we’re hoping to have a great year and build momentum together.

"We've got a new head coach in John (Tapia-Owens), with a Spanish background in Futsal, which is really technical and tactical and we’ve been working hard to change the way we play and the style we play.”

Born with a visual impairment called Nystagmus, MacDonald says every game and training session is a challenge and he explains exactly how it affects the game from his perspective.

"My condition means that I see the ball quite last minute when I'm playing, and everything else is quite blurry,” he revealed.

"We play indoors so the ball doesn't really go in the air and we play Futsal so the ball's a bit heavier and really zips.

“You need to have quite good reactions, and it's sometimes tough to pick up runners because we've all got spots in our eyes where we have more sight than others.

"So we have to communicate really effectively on the pitch, especially with the goalkeepers who have sight and can communicate around the pitch.”

MacDonald is now seen as one of the squad’s most senior players, having come through the England para talent pathway after starting his journey in his hometown of Colchester.

“I first started playing football at school,” he revealed.

"I realised then that I couldn't just pick up the ball and play as quickly as others could at school.

"So I looked locally into other teams, like a pan-disability team and I came across the Colchester D4S (Disability for Sport) club where the coach there had a good communication line with the England talent pathway at the FA.

"So I was really fortunate in that sense, as it helped me get through the door and get a trial to kick start the journey.

"I started back in 2016, I was 16 at the time, having come through the development pathway with England.

"My first tournament was in 2018 and I've since played in some major tournaments like European and World Championships so I feel like a senior part of the team now.”