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Beikoff and Van Heer were both selected as part of the ParaMatildas and Pararoos squads for the continental CP (cerebral palsy) tournament, scheduled to commence on November 4 at La Trobe University's 'Home of the Matildas'.
For Beikoff, the opportunity to represent her country on home soil is a dream decades in the making, with the ParaMatildas midfielder eager to build on the form that earned her the golden boot at last year’s IFCPF Women’s World Cup.
“I think the word is 'indescribable',” Beikoff told SBS Sport.
“This is something that I’ve been dreaming of since I was six and now that it’s come true, 20-odd years later, it’s fantastic.
“I’ve got lots of family who haven’t watched me play football live before so that’s really exciting that they get a chance to watch me play.”
Perhaps even more exciting, however, is the exposure the men’s and women’s national teams will receive ahead of the Asia-Oceania Championships, not to mention the opportunity to showcase CP football to the rest of the population.
It’s a sentiment Beikoff supported, as did Pararoos forward Van Heer who hopes to inspire the next generation and show current onlookers just how ‘beautiful’ having a disability can be.
“When I was a kid, there was no real role model for football,” Beikoff said.
“Yes, there were para-sports with athletics and swimming, but there was nothing for para-football.
“But now, we’ve got the Matildas as well. We’re hand-in-hand, we’re shoulder-to-shoulder with them in trying to create a pathway for these kids and for these girls who want to play football, reach their dreams and make them a reality.”
“I think my disability makes me beautiful,” said Van Heer, who made his Pararoos debut at just 16 years of age.
“I didn’t just think of myself, I thought about everyone with a disability, every disabled person. I just want people to know that everyone with a disability is beautiful.
“I don’t want people to be afraid to have one. I appreciate that I have one and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Though the youngest in the Pararoos set-up, the burgeoning forward remains acutely aware of his responsibility as a para-athlete and the impact he can make both on the pitch and off it.
“I hope to inspire people with a disability (so that) they start playing football and come into the Pararoos as well,” Van Heer said.
“I just want to inspire people with a disability – not just in sport, but in general. To not be afraid.
“Having a disability is the best thing you can ever have.”
