• Football Australia
  • Football Queensland
  • Central Coast
  • Darling Downs
  • Far North & Gulf
  • Metro (North & South)
  • Northern
  • South Coast
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Whitsunday Coast
  • Wide Bay

Logo

Governing body for football and futsal in Queensland

General Enquiries
  • Regions
    • SEQ
      • Metro (North & South)
      • South Coast
      • Darling Downs
    • Central
      • Sunshine Coast
      • Wide Bay
      • Central Coast
    • Northern
      • Far North & Gulf
      • Northern
      • Whitsunday Coast
  • News
  • FQTV
  • Competitions
    • NPL & FQPL (1&2)
      • NPL Men’s
      • NPL Women’s
      • NPL Junior Boys
      • NPL Junior Girls
      • FQPL Men’s
      • FQPL Women’s
      • FQPL Junior Boys
    • Wet Weather
      • All Locations
      • NPL & FQPL Grounds
    • Futsal
      • F-League
      • F-League Men’s
      • F-League Women’s
      • SEQ Futsal Premier League
      • Futsal State Titles
    • Other
      • State Disciplinary
      • Teamsheet Submissions & Referee Appointments
      • Australia Cup
      • Kappa Women’s Super Cup
      • FQPL Champions League
      • Transfer Centre
      • Kappa Festival of Football
      • Q-League
  • Players
    • Junior Football
      • Holiday Clinics
      • Play Football
      • MiniRoos Kick-Off
      • MiniRoos
      • Junior Football
      • FQ Academy
    • Senior Football
      • Play Football
      • Senior Football
      • Masters Football
    • Social Football
      • Girls United Social Football
      • Walking Football
    • Futsal
      • About
      • Find a Club / Venue
      • Futsal Courses
    • Schools
      • Sporting Schools
      • School Sport Football Trials
      • MiniRoos Kick-Off After School
    • Programs
      • Football For All
      • Multicultural
      • Indigenous
      • All Abilities
      • All Abilities Futsal
      • Women & Girls
  • Coaches
    • State Coaching Conference
    • Coach Information
      • Become a Coach
      • Coach Pathway
      • No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room
    • Coaching Courses
      • Community
      • Advanced
      • Workshops & Webinars
      • Host a Course
    • Coaching Knowledge Base
      • Resources
      • Webinars
      • Videos
    • Coaching Programs
      • FQ CCD
      • CCC Program
  • Referees
    • Join Our Referee Family
      • Become a Referee
      • Become a Futsal Referee
    • Referee Education
      • Referee Courses
      • Referee Pathway
      • Referee Academy
      • Referee Initiatives
      • E-Learning
      • Sin Bin Rules
      • Schools Referee Program
    • Match Day
      • Appointments
      • Team Sheet Submission
      • Game Day Expectations
      • No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room
      • Forms & Reports
      • Shop
    • Resources
      • Resource Portal
      • Referee Contacts
      • Laws of the Game
      • Honour Board
  • Clubs
    • Club Support Hub
      • Flood Support Hub
      • Committees
      • Digital & Media
      • Coaching
      • Women & Girls
      • Facilities
      • Webinars
    • Volunteers
      • Good2GiveBack
      • Wall of Fame
    • Facilities
      • Strategic Infrastructure Plan
      • Facilities Guides
      • Grants & Funding
      • Preferred Partners
    • Community
      • Protect Our Game
      • No Badge, No Bench, No Ref Room
      • Community Heart Program
      • Community Noticeboard
      • FQ Community Club Development
      • FQ Club Shields
    • Program Applications
      • Women & Girls
      • Masters Football
      • Walking Football
  • Events
    • Upcoming
      • Football in Queensland Awards
      • FQ Community Cup
      • FQ Futsal State Titles
      • Filippo Mele Carnival 2022
      • Girls United Carnival Gladstone
    • Previous
      • WinterFest
      • Female Football Week
      • Australia Day FIFA Tournament
      • Beach Soccer Carnival
      • Harmony Week
      • Kappa Festival of Football
      • Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Football
    • Hosting an Event
      • QR Code Reporting
  • Inside FQ
    • About
      • Contact
      • Partners
      • FQ History
      • Careers
      • Zones
      • Football Foundation
      • Life Members
    • Important Links
      • General Enquiries
      • FAQs
      • State Disciplinary
      • FQ Services Guide
      • Football Australia Insurance Programme
      • Forms & Policies
      • Protect Our Game
    • COVID Updates
      • CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
      • Return to Play
      • Request Attendance Data
    • Strategic
      • Future of Football 2020+
      • The Journey So Far
      • Strategic Plan 2020-2022
      • Strategic Infrastructure Plan 2020-2024
      • Women & Girls Strategy 2021-2023
      • Futsal Strategy 2020-2022
      • Football Australia XI Principles
/ News / Power through the chairs

Power through the chairs

June 7, 2018

Wheelchair-bound players get just as big a kick out of football as their able-bodied counterparts.

Queensland Powerchair Football Association (QPFA) president Tom Dickson says the introduction of the modified version of the code is proving to be a winner and at this stage is the fastest-growing sport for wheelchair users.

“We have about 100 players nationally and we now have three clubs playing in south-east Queensland with team members from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, north to the Sunshine Coast and west to Toowoomba,” Dickson said.

“We have three teams playing, the Brisbane Strikers, Brisbane City and Moreton Bay Jets with about 25 players registered.”

It is with the support of the three Queensland NPL clubs – the Strikers, City and the Jets – that the powerchair boys can get to test themselves in full competition mode.

Hopefully the number of clubs will soon increase to four.

“We are on the verge of getting another club involved in this,” Dickson said.

“The clubs are throwing in playing gear for us and they are very good with their social media.

“The most important thing is that they are making us a part of the club. This sort of stuff is so very important to us, being a part of the actual football club.”

Take it for granted, despite their physical limitations the powerchairers are every bit as competitive as their able-bodied counterparts as they zip their battery-charged machines around the court.

Take, for example, a recent clash between Strikers and City at the home venue for the sport in SEQ, Brisbane State High.

“It ended up a fiery 3-3 draw and the game was punctuated by referees stopping play and telling everybody to calm down,” said Dickson, who plays for the Strikers.

“We can definitely go in hard, bars can crash and referees can step in – and you can get carded. I’ve had my share of warnings.”

Obviously the sport calls for specially-made wheelchairs but the one thing it has resulted in is an avenue for those who love their football to direct their energies and passion.

“Remember a lot of these guys have not had the opportunity to play a team sport.

“So, to have this up and running since 2012 is pretty amazing, it has helped boost confidence in all walks of life, not just football.”

The QPFA was founded to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to play team sport.

Powerchair Football is an adapted version of football. Two teams of four hit and spin a 13-inch football on a regular-size basketball court and is for athletes who use powerchairs for their everyday mobility.

Brisbane State High is to host the national titles late in September where defending champions Queensland will take on teams from arch rivals New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia in a week-long tournament.

There will also be invited teams from across the Tasman Sea representing New Zealand as competitors vie for selection in the Australian Poweroos squad.

Powerchair Football is being considered for the 2024 Paralympics which will hopefully attract government funding for the sport.

“It is currently self-funded and we have to work hard on getting our own sponsorships,” Dickson said.

“APFA and QPFA are both community organisations that rely heavily on the generosity of our volunteers.

“Holding an event for athletes with disabilities is a complex and costly exercise.

“Disabled athletes must factor in the cost of a personal carer, medical equipment hire and accessible transport and accommodation. This is a unique position for athletes with disabilities and is often on top of costly expenses incurred in their daily lives.

“With an accessible playing venue, accommodation and transport, we estimate our tournament will cost nearly $140,000.

“We believe our championship can continue the Commonwealth Games legacy of inclusion, which was the first to have para-sports run simultaneously at the event.

“We also believe that the APFA National Championship is important with the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme as we, too, highlight the social and economic participation of people with disabilities in Australia.”

 

Pictured (left to right), Top Row: Tom McDonald, Kerry Hammersley, Mark Simon-Green, Richard Griffiths, David Wiebe, Pat Hedges, Dean Simpkins
Bottom Row: Tristram Peters, Tom Dickson, Bryce Castles

 

Words: Terry Wilson

Play Football 2021
Good2GiveBack
Club Support Hub

Latest News

  • ROUND PREVIEW
  • Inaugural FQ Academy Under 12 Cup to deliver new opportunities for FQ Academy players
  • Vale Geoff Foster
  • Expanded F-League competition to kick off in 2022
  • Round Preview – Metro
Phone: (07) 3208 2677
Address: 187 Meakin Rd, Slacks Creek

sign up to our
newsletter today

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Football Queensland logo

© 2022 Football Queensland. All Rights Reserved. Created with by iCreate

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.