Powerchair football is a variation on football in which two teams of four players in electric wheelchairs compete. Foot guards fitted to the chairs are used to knock the ball, which is larger than a regular football, to teammates and into the goal.
It also shares similarities with futsal and wheelchair rugby, particularly in regards to physicality – Powerchair football isn’t a game for the weak. With uncompromising bumper-to-bumper action one of the drawcards of the game, Powerchair football is quickly growing as an entertaining spectator sport.
Powerchair football was developed in France in the 1970s before spreading to the United States in the 1980s, eventually leading to an international meeting in Paris in 2005 with the vision of creating an international organisation and set of rules for the sport.
The Red & Black were among the first of the A-League clubs to be officially associated with a Powerchair football team.
In 2022, Reliant Healthcare signed on as the new front-of-shirt partner for the club’s Powerchair Team.
Reliant Healthcare provide multiple services all over New South Wales including personal care, NDIS services, companion care, daily activities, dementia, disability, nursing, palliative, respite and live-in care.
The partnership continues Reliant Healthcare’s support of the Western Sydney football community having recently launched a new Inclusive Football Program with the Wanderers Foundation.
For more information on the Wanderers Foundation click here.
