Joe Quick
Joe, 30, is the team’s number one goalkeeper. His mental toughness on the pitch is born from his journey off it, with Joe in the 10-15% of people with CP who develop the condition after birth.
It was in 2003 when Joe, then eight, suffered a stroke. He was in a coma for two weeks and subsequently left with CP.
Joe would go on to play pan-disability football for 15 years. He then stopped playing after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Showing great strength in adversity, once again, Joe overcame the disease. His focus turned to working until the Foundation gave him the support and confidence to return to the game he loves.
He explained: “Playing CP football means everything to me. I used to play pan-disability football and it’s a bit harder because there can be players with fuller physicality, whereas everyone here’s on the same sort of level. It’s better for me and I enjoy it a lot more.
“Representing Tottenham Hotspur brings me a lot of pride. Everyone’s very supportive of each other here. Coach John knows we’ve got the potential and is working with us to slowly bring it out whilst we get used to playing together.”
When the team won their first trophy in March, Joe sat out the majority of the tournament, offering support for his understudy, 16-year-old Reks, having picked up a concussion making a brave block in the first match.
He said: “I just love making a save. It’s better than scoring a goal in my opinion. I haven’t won a lot of trophies, so it was nice to pick that one up.”
Joe added that the team were boosted by support from the Club.
“Spurs hosting these occasions is amazing. When else do you get to come to a Premier League training ground? You just wouldn’t get this chance anywhere else.”