{{unreferenced, date=May 2018
Wheelchair soccer is a variation of
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, in which all of the participants are
wheelchairs
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries (paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebral pa ...
users due to
physical disability
A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epileps ...
.
Intellectual disabilities
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signif ...
can also be a factor, but this is not always the case. The wheelchairs can be either motorised, or manually pushed.
In case of all electric and some manual wheelchairs, the player propels themselves where possible. If this is not physically possible, the player is allowed to use a 'pusher' to move them around the court. However, the pusher is passive in the sense that they cannot become physically involved in the game. Wheelchair soccer is very similar to the able-bodied form of the game in terms of rules and structure—the only real difference being that the player uses their wheelchair to move around the court and also to propel the ball when passing, to tackle another player (in defense), and to score
goals
A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.
Goal may also refer to:
Sport
* Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs
** Goals, the goal frame in ...
. If a player is physically able to kick the ball, then they are allowed to do so. Also, if the
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
is able to stop the ball with their hands, they are allowed to do so.
In most cases, there is both a seniors and reserves division. In reserves, there are no goalkeepers. This format caters for the players who are more severely physically disabled than others. The reserves division can also be for players who are beginners. Many players later make the transition to the seniors division.
Difficulties can arise in the playing of the game due to the vast differences in the physical abilities of the players. The only thing that is common to all players is that they have a physical disability and are wheelchair users. This means that players who kick the ball are usually more powerful and accurate than those who cannot. In response, some players who use electric wheelchairs attach a flat metal or wooden panel to the front of their foot plates. This measure both prevents the ball on sliding underneath the chair during play (a common problem), and also gives the player a flat surface when making contact with the ball. This increases passing and potential goalscoring accuracy.
In the senior division, rules also state that the attacking player is not allowed go into the semicircular area inhabited by the goalkeeper; and all the shots on goal must be taken from outside the semicircle. This is 'the last line of defence'.
The games are played indoors (usually on a modified
basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...
). The ball is also slightly larger than a regulation-sized soccer ball.
Wheelchair soccer was invented in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia, where it is developed as a partnership between Scope (Vic Ltd) and the
Football Federation Victoria
Football Victoria is the state governing body for soccer in Victoria, Australia. It is affiliated with Football Australia, the sport's national governing body.
History
Football Victoria began operation in 1884 under the name Anglo Australia ...
. Wheelchair soccer is split up into two regions, Southeast and Northwest, both with reserves and senior divisions. The top team in each regional division meets up for the State Final.
The participants use a mix of manual, and electric wheelchairs. While it may not be the only sport that is available for people in electric wheelchairs, it is the most prominent. The above league in Victoria consists of amateur participants.