Skate soccer fans in Ghana on Monday appealed to the government and well-to-do individuals to assist in raising the sport to a higher level.

"My simple message is that they should come and support us or they should call us to come and tell them our story so that they see how they can help us," Albert Frimpong, a senior official of the skate soccer team told Xinhua in an interview.

Skate soccer is becoming one of the emerging lesser-known but attractive sporting activities in Ghana.

The sport, which is a fast and physical team game that combines soccer, skating and handball, is played by people with physical disabilities.

The players roll around the field (a concrete surface) on homemade skateboards in a bid to put the ball at the back of the opponents' net while the team that does not have the ball will do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening.

Competitions for this sport are already being held at both club and international levels.

Albert Frimpong, director of Sports and Youth Development Organization (SYDO), a charity organization, started the sport in 2006, which has attracted many new spectators.

The team does its training close to a lorry park located at the Central Business District (CBD) in Accra, Ghana's national capital on Sunday mornings.

Frimpong said the desire of the disabled athletes to attain growth and carve a niche for themselves pushed him to bring them together to showcase their talents.

He said Ghana stood to chalk more achievements and earn greater recognition within the sporting world with the right attitude and a genuine commitment to integrate the valiant and determined compatriots living with disability into the national sports and recreation agenda.

"These players are very skillful and we need to turn their skills into something very productive," he said, describing the games as a sport that could bring respect and admiration to Ghana.

In Ghana, and the world over, People with Disabilities (PWDs) constitute an impoverished and marginalized group who lack access to public health, education, and other social services.

To be able to survive, some of the players beg for alms on the streets from passersby and motorists, an activity they deem very dangerous particularly due to their minimal visibility.

With limited options available, the beggar-turned-players are forced to risk their lives in order to feed themselves and their families.

Abdela Mahmoud Tupac is a 29-year-old member of the team who has been living with the polio disease since age five and has played the sport for nearly three years.

Mahmoud initially played skate soccer for fun but later realized that a lot could be achieved for both individual and country with team effort and a little more push from well-heeled Ghanaians.

He also appealed for help from corporate Ghana to support their activities, adding: "We know that when we get help from many people, our team will move forward."

Financial constraints have derailed efforts at trying to actualize the numerous projects and programs earmarked to raise the sport to a higher level.

However, the SYDO charity organization plans to source for funding to set up businesses for them in the long-term so they do not go begging.