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Benefits of Power Soccer
Power Wheelchair Soccer is an incredible sport uniquely for people with power wheelchairs. It is, in fact, the
only truly competitive and team-based sport that allows power wheelchair users to remain in the comfort of
their chairs while playing. Using a plastic guard attached to the wheelchair, players must work as a team to
drive an 14 inch ball into their opponent’s goal. As a sport of strategy and teamwork, it is not the player’s
physical strength required but rather the player’s wheelchair maneuverability and excitement in the game
that matters.
While there are many other adaptive sports for people in manual wheelchairs as well as for those who have
other disabilities, there are few means of entertainment and team camaraderie for people in motorized
wheelchairs. This has previously meant that these individuals would entertain themselves with books, video
games, or television. These activities often occur alone or independent of other individuals and thus isolate
the individual from many group activities. Power soccer not only gives them the opportunity to play a sport,
it also challenges them to take risks and leadership. For people who have grown up with a disability and
are wheelchair bound, power soccer may be the first activity they have had to encourage cooperation and
teamwork. Each athlete must work together and communicate to be successful, while becoming skilled in
maneuvering their wheelchairs and gaining confidence about their abilities.
Many able-bodied people take for granted such team-driven tasks and confidence builders which become
second nature after countless years of physical education programs and fitness activities in schools.
People born with disabilities or bound to a wheelchair at a young age often lack this interpersonal
development and may face issues with belongingness in schools and social groups. Power soccer has had
the effect on many such individuals to restore their confidence and teach them group dynamics that are
useful in all aspects of life. For children in motorized wheelchairs, the power soccer community offers hope
for the future. Successful, disabled individuals in power wheelchairs who have succeeded in achieving their
goals become role models and mentors for younger athletes, encouraging them to take challenges and to
believe that they can reach their dreams.
Because there are few means for people in wheelchairs to socialize together, many disabled individuals
grow up rarely seeing another person in a wheelchair or may interact with only able-bodied people during
their typical daily routine. Such people, either with new and lifelong disabilities, often feel uncomfortable
interacting with other people in wheelchairs because it reinforces their own disability and makes them feel
self conscious. Power soccer offers a way to gain acceptance in oneself and in other people in wheelchairs
by encouraging positive interactions and focusing attention on the sport rather than the disability. This
helps individuals feel worthy of belonging to a group and teaches them to look beyond their own disability
and the disabilities of those around them.
People who develop disabilities, either genetically or through accidents, find that power soccer has many
great attributes. The team aspect allows them to bond with other people of similar challenges and
disabilities, offering a support community for people facing recent disability life changes to receive
guidance and encouragement from other individuals and families with new and previous disabilities. Power
soccer offers a positive approach of disabilities and encourages individuals undergoing rehabilitation or
with recent diagnoses to maintain a can do attitude with their disability. The sport continually emphasizes
the capability of people with disabilities and approaches the game of soccer not as an adaptation to the
able-bodied version but as a truly competitive and entertaining sport that incorporates the excitement of
motorized wheelchair maneuverability into its rules. In this way, power soccer athletes can feel their
independence and success on the court and often carry this into many other aspects of their life. Overall,
power soccer has incredible benefits either as a recreational sport or in a competitive team for anyone who
uses a motorized wheelchair because it builds and promotes cooperation, teamwork, confidence, and
community.
Power Wheelchair Soccer is an incredible sport uniquely for people with power wheelchairs. It is, in fact, the
only truly competitive and team-based sport that allows power wheelchair users to remain in the comfort of
their chairs while playing. Using a plastic guard attached to the wheelchair, players must work as a team to
drive an 14 inch ball into their opponent’s goal. As a sport of strategy and teamwork, it is not the player’s
physical strength required but rather the player’s wheelchair maneuverability and excitement in the game
that matters.
While there are many other adaptive sports for people in manual wheelchairs as well as for those who have
other disabilities, there are few means of entertainment and team camaraderie for people in motorized
wheelchairs. This has previously meant that these individuals would entertain themselves with books, video
games, or television. These activities often occur alone or independent of other individuals and thus isolate
the individual from many group activities. Power soccer not only gives them the opportunity to play a sport,
it also challenges them to take risks and leadership. For people who have grown up with a disability and
are wheelchair bound, power soccer may be the first activity they have had to encourage cooperation and
teamwork. Each athlete must work together and communicate to be successful, while becoming skilled in
maneuvering their wheelchairs and gaining confidence about their abilities.
Many able-bodied people take for granted such team-driven tasks and confidence builders which become
second nature after countless years of physical education programs and fitness activities in schools.
People born with disabilities or bound to a wheelchair at a young age often lack this interpersonal
development and may face issues with belongingness in schools and social groups. Power soccer has had
the effect on many such individuals to restore their confidence and teach them group dynamics that are
useful in all aspects of life. For children in motorized wheelchairs, the power soccer community offers hope
for the future. Successful, disabled individuals in power wheelchairs who have succeeded in achieving their
goals become role models and mentors for younger athletes, encouraging them to take challenges and to
believe that they can reach their dreams.
Because there are few means for people in wheelchairs to socialize together, many disabled individuals
grow up rarely seeing another person in a wheelchair or may interact with only able-bodied people during
their typical daily routine. Such people, either with new and lifelong disabilities, often feel uncomfortable
interacting with other people in wheelchairs because it reinforces their own disability and makes them feel
self conscious. Power soccer offers a way to gain acceptance in oneself and in other people in wheelchairs
by encouraging positive interactions and focusing attention on the sport rather than the disability. This
helps individuals feel worthy of belonging to a group and teaches them to look beyond their own disability
and the disabilities of those around them.
People who develop disabilities, either genetically or through accidents, find that power soccer has many
great attributes. The team aspect allows them to bond with other people of similar challenges and
disabilities, offering a support community for people facing recent disability life changes to receive
guidance and encouragement from other individuals and families with new and previous disabilities. Power
soccer offers a positive approach of disabilities and encourages individuals undergoing rehabilitation or
with recent diagnoses to maintain a can do attitude with their disability. The sport continually emphasizes
the capability of people with disabilities and approaches the game of soccer not as an adaptation to the
able-bodied version but as a truly competitive and entertaining sport that incorporates the excitement of
motorized wheelchair maneuverability into its rules. In this way, power soccer athletes can feel their
independence and success on the court and often carry this into many other aspects of their life. Overall,
power soccer has incredible benefits either as a recreational sport or in a competitive team for anyone who
uses a motorized wheelchair because it builds and promotes cooperation, teamwork, confidence, and
community.
The Game of Power Soccer:
Power soccer is the most exciting, new, and dynamic sport in development for athletes with disabilities
using power wheelchairs. It is an extremely competitive sport that has been ongoing for over 20
years, but is just now exploding nationally and internationally. This action packed team sport
combines the skill of the athlete with the speed and power of the wheelchair itself. The game is
played in a gymnasium using the boundaries of a regulation basketball court. Two teams of 4 attack,
defend, and maneuver an oversized soccer ball using specialized foot guards attached to the
wheelchairs, in an attempt to score points on a goal. There is 2 divisions. Division 1 is for the more
skilled athletes, Division 2 is for athletes who are learning the game. Power soccer is a fast paced
competitive sport in which the athletes display their passing, dribbling, defending, and goal scoring
skills individually and as a team. The game is similar to the non-stop action seen in outdoor soccer.
A Brief History of Power Soccer:
Power soccer has been evolving since the mid-1980s all over the world. Some energetic Canadian
power wheelchair users were the first to develop a form of power soccer that is quite similar to our
current rules. Since the mid-80s, the sport expanded down the west coast to San Diego and across
the Pacific to Japan. In the States, it spread to other parts of California, to Arizona, and (thanks to
the migration of a few San Diegans) to Atlanta. The Japanese were also concurrently developing
the sport to fit their needs and their version somehow made it to England.
Meanwhile, in France another form of power soccer was developing. In order to find a sport that
students in a residential school who were all severely physically disabled could play, some
imaginative teachers created a game involving an old basketball. They adapted and adjusted their
sport into a highly competitive conference of about 30 teams in 3 divisions with many tournaments
leading up to National Competitions. Since this form developed from an independent source, the
game is very different from our current style of play. The French version is currently played in
Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, and some other parts of the world.
So, for almost 20 years, as we were developing our version of power soccer and France was
developing theirs, neither country knew of each other's endeavors. Two years ago, countries began
collaborating to form one playing style. This past July, 10 countries met in Atlanta Georgia at the
World Summit and formed the Federation de International Powerchair Football Association (FIPFA) to
unite countries around the world in competition to vie for the first ever Powerchair Football World
Cup. Japan will be hosting representatives from over 10 countries including- Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, England, Ecuador, France, Turkey, Korea, Portugal, and US. FIPFA's goal in the next few
years is to have power soccer become a Paralympic sport in London, 2012.
This last August the United States officially formed the United States Power Soccer Association
(USPSA), the governing body and for the sport in the US. There are teams in over 25 states across
the country.
Power soccer is the most exciting, new, and dynamic sport in development for athletes with disabilities
using power wheelchairs. It is an extremely competitive sport that has been ongoing for over 20
years, but is just now exploding nationally and internationally. This action packed team sport
combines the skill of the athlete with the speed and power of the wheelchair itself. The game is
played in a gymnasium using the boundaries of a regulation basketball court. Two teams of 4 attack,
defend, and maneuver an oversized soccer ball using specialized foot guards attached to the
wheelchairs, in an attempt to score points on a goal. There is 2 divisions. Division 1 is for the more
skilled athletes, Division 2 is for athletes who are learning the game. Power soccer is a fast paced
competitive sport in which the athletes display their passing, dribbling, defending, and goal scoring
skills individually and as a team. The game is similar to the non-stop action seen in outdoor soccer.
A Brief History of Power Soccer:
Power soccer has been evolving since the mid-1980s all over the world. Some energetic Canadian
power wheelchair users were the first to develop a form of power soccer that is quite similar to our
current rules. Since the mid-80s, the sport expanded down the west coast to San Diego and across
the Pacific to Japan. In the States, it spread to other parts of California, to Arizona, and (thanks to
the migration of a few San Diegans) to Atlanta. The Japanese were also concurrently developing
the sport to fit their needs and their version somehow made it to England.
Meanwhile, in France another form of power soccer was developing. In order to find a sport that
students in a residential school who were all severely physically disabled could play, some
imaginative teachers created a game involving an old basketball. They adapted and adjusted their
sport into a highly competitive conference of about 30 teams in 3 divisions with many tournaments
leading up to National Competitions. Since this form developed from an independent source, the
game is very different from our current style of play. The French version is currently played in
Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, and some other parts of the world.
So, for almost 20 years, as we were developing our version of power soccer and France was
developing theirs, neither country knew of each other's endeavors. Two years ago, countries began
collaborating to form one playing style. This past July, 10 countries met in Atlanta Georgia at the
World Summit and formed the Federation de International Powerchair Football Association (FIPFA) to
unite countries around the world in competition to vie for the first ever Powerchair Football World
Cup. Japan will be hosting representatives from over 10 countries including- Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, England, Ecuador, France, Turkey, Korea, Portugal, and US. FIPFA's goal in the next few
years is to have power soccer become a Paralympic sport in London, 2012.
This last August the United States officially formed the United States Power Soccer Association
(USPSA), the governing body and for the sport in the US. There are teams in over 25 states across
the country.