( CNN ) -- Polio victims are not an uncommon sight in Accra . The poorest of them often make a living from begging , weaving through the Ghanaian capital 's traffic on homemade skateboards , seeking handouts from passing motorists . It 's not an easy life . `` Going amongst the cars , it 's very dangerous , '' attests Aminu Yaro , aka Smallee , a polio survivor who moved to the city from Niger . `` Some drivers ' brakes might fail and the car could run you down . '' While during the week , many choose to ignore these men , and the deftness they exhibit when navigating the roads , on Sundays , Ghanians turn up in the hundreds to watch them play a sport that could one day be a hit on the Paralympic circuit : skate soccer . `` When Saturday comes , I go to sleep early , because I know tomorrow morning I 'm going to play ball , '' says Yaro . Yaro is a member of the Rolling Rockets , a team of about 40 polio survivors . As many have limited use of their legs , the men play their version of soccer on skateboards , and hit the ball with their hands . 'Bigger than me ' For Albert Frimpong , the team 's coach and sole financier , skate soccer is more than just a game -- it 's a potential means to get these men off the streets . `` Initially , the idea was to get them to stop begging , to improve their lives . I was hoping to use the soccer as a way to set up business- and income-generating projects for them , '' says Frimpong . As an able-bodied man , Frimpong says that the first challenge was getting the men to trust him . `` Every time they saw me approaching , they would vanish , '' he recalls . `` People have exploited them for so long , they thought that I was going to do the same . '' Since starting the team nine years ago , Frimpong says he has nearly bankrupted himself , paying not just for equipment and transportation , but for the men 's food and medicine . `` It got to the point that I ended up owing so many people money , some took me to the police station , '' he says . `` I took upon myself something bigger than me . But the game has progressed and there 's joy in the lives of these people . '' Frimpong 's ultimate dream is to purchase some land and set up a community where the men could train , farm and earn an honest living . `` Yes , it 's farfetched , '' he admits . `` But it 's a dream . '' Into the limelight . Lately , the sport has attracted international attention . Last month , Chevrolet released Rolling On , a short documentary about the team that makes up part of a digital and social media campaign around the World Cup and the car company 's Man United sponsorship . Chevrolet enlisted award-winning director Baff Akoto to create the spot . `` ( The Rolling Rockets ) play really hard . It 's not pedestrian , '' says Akoto . `` The dynamics of the game might be different , but there 's as much athleticism , grace , skill , commitment and kamikaze enthusiasm as in any able-bodied game . '' In 2012 , the story of the Rolling Rockets inspired a Kickstarter campaign for a subsequent documentary : Rollaball . The film 's director , Eddie Edwards , says that his interest in the players is lost on some Ghanians . `` When I was filming , I would often get approached by the police , who would say , 'why are you interested in these guys ? They 're just thieves . Why do you give them so much attention ? '' Through filming and getting to know the men , Edwards says he has learned to appreciate just how misunderstood the men are . `` A lot of these guys come from poor backgrounds , and either their families could n't afford to put them through school , or else they were completely neglected and forced to live on the streets . But they have a great sense of humor , a great sense of camaraderie and a great sense of brotherhood , '' he says . The price of fame . Edwards , who has spent years filming the men , says that their increased notoriety has been a bit of a `` double-edged sword . '' For some of the men , he admits , the fame has gone to their heads . `` As the team 's gotten more popular , one of the guys , No Fear , has started to behave like Wayne Rooney . He 's started to really bling it up and changed his hairstyle , '' says Edwards . Their fame , however , has done little to boost their income . `` Publicity is good , but it has n't given us any reward in terms of finance , '' says Frimpong . `` Anyone who comes to film them gives us enough for transportation and to pay for their water , but by the time the game is over , the money is finished . '' Unfortunately , not everyone realizes that fame does n't necessarily equal cash . `` People in traffic sometimes recognize them from TV and think they 're making money from their appearances and that they do n't deserve to be helped , '' says Edwards .
The Rolling Rockets are a Ghanian team of 'football ' players with polio . They play a version of the game called skate soccer , because they play on skateboards . The team 's coach hopes the game will provide the players with economic opportunities .