Starting on Tuesday, 22nd January 2013 at St George’s Park in Burton on Trent, Able Too have organised Powerchair Football Club Coaching Sessions with the main aim of developing a new Powerchair Football Club.
US versus France in final of 2007 FIPFA World Cup.
The sessions will be from 6.00pm until 7.30pm every Tuesday and be held in the Futsal indoor facility at the FA National Football Centre, due to St George’s Park providing the facility as part of their commitment to supporting the development of community football. Qualified coaches from the Wheelchair Football Association, Staffordshire FA, Able Too United and Burton Albion in the community will be running the initial sessions and supporting volunteers in gaining new skills to play an active role in developing the club.
Powerchair Football has grown massively in the UK, with over 35 Powerchair Football clubs competing in Regional and National Leagues. This new development means that aspiring players within the Staffordshire and surrounding areas can have access to the sport, from a “grass-roots” recreational opportunity to setting up a club to enter the National league competition.
Sam Bull, National Development Manager for the Wheelchair Football Association, said: “The Midlands is a ‘priority area’ for the Wheelchair Football Associations development plan. Due to the fantastic support from a number of partners within the area, we have made great progress in a short time. The setting up of a club at the home of the FA is the culmination of partnership working between East Staffordshire Borough Council, Burton Albion Football in the Community, Staffordshire County FA, Sport across Staffordshire County Sports Partnership. We hope that children and adults taking part in this development are only at the start of their Powerchair Football journey.”
Wheelchair football is the only ‘active’ participation game available to electric wheelchair users in the world. Wheelchair football has been played in several countries around the world for many years but has only recently been introduced to the UK. Wheelchair football is open to any player that can operate an electric wheelchair. This means it caters for an extremely wide range of physical disabilities, from Cerebral Palsy to Muscular Dystrophy.
Councillor David Leese, Deputy Leader for Partnerships, said: “This is another example of the opportunities the Able Too Forum provides to the community of East Staffordshire.
“This Powerchair Football initiative brings together partners from across the County, which include Staffordshire Football Association, Sport Across Staffordshire, Wheelchair Football Association and Burton Albion Community Trust to offer this unique opportunity for people with a physical disability to take in a fully inclusive sport.
“Once again by working with our partners we are able to provide the wider community access to this wonderful facility.”
Equipment will be provided at the sessions, including powerchairs. For further information or any questions or queries then please contact Ray Ashley on 07764291663 or R_ashley@sky.com
