Jack Wilson has cerebral palsy. But that won’t stop him kicking goals.

Jack Wilson, aged 7, has cerebral palsy but a special harness lets him play Auskick with all the other kids.

Jack Wilson scores again, with an assist from dad Tony. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Jack Wilson has footy in his veins. Grandfather Ray ­Wilson played in Hawthorn’s premiership team in 1971 and ­father Tony was on the Hawks’ reserve list in 1991.

And Jack, 7, won’t let a little thing like cerebral palsy get in the way of his love of Aussie rules.

Tony Wilson, a Melbourne children’s author, has invested in a special harness to give his son a chance to play Auskick on the weekends with other kids his age.

“It’s a goal! It’s a huge one,” Jack said as he kicked the ball. Something which would have once been impossible.

Jack, one of four Wilson children, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy two weeks after he was born. One of the first things Tony said he wondered was if his son could ever play the family game.

“I remember that first awful meeting where you ask what will he and won’t he be able to do, and one of the questions was ‘will he be able to play football’,” he said.

“The harness means he can go and play Auskick ... he gets all the enjoyment of being called in with the other kids, of having a piece of fruit, of talking to his friends.”

After reading up on toys and equipment for children with cerebral palsy, Tony and his wife Tam discovered a Northern Irish company called Firefly and a product called the Upsee.

“The company is run by people who have children with disabilities ... we saw a video online,” Tony said.

“We have a walking frame but it’s such an effort and the Upsee means he can be more in the motion of everyday life.”

Jack is strapped into the Upsee and then attached to a harness around Tony’s waist. Tony puts on special shoes attached to the harness belt. Attached are smaller shoes for Jack so he can run and kick.

“And it is a therapy tool in the sense that I can feel when he is lifting. He can lift his legs and get strength doing that so I say ‘come on, step, step, step, step’,” Tony said. “Without the Upsee he couldn’t feel the motion.”

Videos of Tony and Jack at Auskick have been shared on social media, with one Facebook clip getting nearly 4000 views.

But how do parents and players feel about a big man like Tony on the Auskick field?

“I am able to curb my competitive instincts to not smash into seven-year-olds,” Tony laughs.

“It’s been a curiosity but I can see the smiles from the parents on the sidelines. There’s a real warmth.”

The Upsee, which costs about $1000, has also opened up other opportunities for Jack.

“You can dance with them, you can play footy with them. You can go to a party and play hide and seek with them ... ”

Tony Wilson’s latest book, Hickory Dickory Dash, will be read in libraries throughout Australia and New Zealand this week as part of National Simultaneous Storytime.