POWER SOCCER POWER SOCCER • A Team Sport designed to be very similar to able-bodied soccer with necessary adaptations. • Developed for people who use a power wheelchair in their everyday life due to permanent limitations • Recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as a Paralympic sport. • Internationally called Powerchair Football • Played in over 30 countries on 5 continents HISTORY OF THE SPORT Power soccer (aka powerchair football) has been played around the world in various forms since the late 70s. • 1979 : France created “Wheelchair Electric Football” as a PE sport at a school for severely physically disabled children. • 1980 : Without contact with France, some sports-minded men with quadriplegia in Western Canada created “Power Soccer” because they were too disabled to play Quad Rugby. • Early 1980s : The Canadian version migrated down the West Coast of the USA and also to Japan. BETWEEN 1980 AND 2005 • During these 25 years, various forms of power soccer/football spread to different countries. Each developed rules to fit the needs of the athletes and communities. • The French version spread to Belgium, Denmark, and Portugal • Japan adapted the Canadian/US rules into a much different game. England started playing by the Japanese rules in the mid-2000s • In the US, growth across the country began in the early 2000s JANUARY 2005 • Representatives from the US, France, Canada, Japan, England, Belgium, Denmark and Portugal met in Paris to observe the French style and to discuss the possibility of internationalizing the sport. • The International Powerchair Football Association (IPFA) was formed and plans were made to combine the 4 main versions of the game into one standardized international format. OCTOBER 2005 • Representatives from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Japan, Portugal, and the USA met in Coimbra, Portugal. • Teams from France, Japan, England, and the USA each presented game demonstrations, the specific rules and regulations, and offered game fundamentals to the rest of the delegations. • Long discussions resulted in a decision to use the newly developed English set of rules as the basis for a standardized set of international Laws of the Game. (England had developed new rules, with help from the English FA, that were more closely associated with able-bodied soccer) • During the next 9 months, points of law were discussed, debated, and amended. JULY 2006 • Teams from Canada, Denmark, England, France, Japan, and the US, as well as delegates from Portugal, Turkey, and South Korea, met in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, to finalize the Laws and formally establish an international governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Powerchair Football Association (FIPFA). • Shortly after, the US formed the United States Power Soccer Association and decided to adopt the same Laws of the Game as FIPFA. 2007: Japan WORLD CUPS hosts the first FIPFA World Cup in Tokyo. 2017: USA hosts 3rd World Cup in (USA WINS!) Kissimmee, Florida. (France wins, USA places 2nd. 2011: France Hosts 2nd World Cup in Paris. 2021: Sydney, Australia (USA WINS!) UNITED STATES POWER SOCCER ASSOCATION 60 Teams around the country Local Teams: Arizona Heat 2021 USA National Team Ability 360 SHORT VIDEO BASIC RULES POWER SOCCER LAWS OF THE GAME Current as of February 2012 Official Rules & Regulations United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA) OBJECT OF THE GAME The game is played by two teams of athletes with physical disabilities using special footguards attached to powered wheelchairs as ‘feet’ to kick a large ball. The object of the game is to maneuver the ball over the goal line of an opposing team while preventing them from doing the same. Who can play? • Anyone with a permanent physical disability who use a power wheelchair for everyday activities. There are no restrictions as to age or gender when building a team. Safety • Players must use lap seatbelts. Leg, feet and chest straps should be used if normally worn. Other authorized equipment may include helmets, headrests, and other assistive or protective technology normally used by the athlete. THE COURT • Standard size basketball court: • Surface of the court must be hard, smooth, and level • Wood or artificial material is recom- mended. • NO concrete or tarmac BASIC NEEDS 4 players to a side, one of whom must be designated as the goalkeeper Basic Equipment • 13 inch ball constructed like a futsal soccer ball • Team members wear jerseys or shirts of the same color • Goalkeepers wear a contrasting jersey to designate position • Clear player number on chair and uniform • A powered wheelchair with 4 or more wheels. 3 or 4-wheeled scooters or similar equipment is not allowed • No part of the chair shall be constructed so as to be able to trap or hold the ball • Lap seatbelt securely fastened to the chair • Footguard (see next slide) FOOTGUARDS • All guards must consist of unbreakable material and be securely attached to the powerchair • Players must be able to maintain eye contact with the ball • Footguard surfaces shall be solid and not angled to hit the ball upwards • All surfaces must be flat or convex. NO sharp surfaces or protrusions • Cannot be wider than the widest point of the frame or wheelbase of the powerchair • Cannot be narrower than the rear tip wheels (or attachments) of the powerchair OFFICIALS • Officials: • One center referee (head referee) • 2 sideline (assistant) referees • Major competitions add a fourth referee • Classification – for international play – US has not yet adopted the system. • Coin toss determines which side is defended first and who kicks off. • Two equal periods of 20 minutes with 10 minute half time • Head ref keeps the accurate game time SPEED TESTING • Each team member has his chair tested for maximum speed at the beginning of each match. • One player is selected by the referees to be retested at the end of each match. • The maximum speed allowed is 6.2 mph (10 kph) forward and backward. • (Allowances are made for the heating of the motors post match.) KICKOFF • The ball is placed at center court and kicked into play at the beginning of each half and after each score. STATIONARY KICKS • The defense must stay at least 5 meters from the ball during all stationary kicks. • Kick off • Goal kick • Kick in • Kicks any time play has been stopped. SCORING • A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goal posts. • If the score is even at the end of regulation, the match is a draw. • Extra time and/or kicks from the penalty mark may be used if the game needs a decision. 2 ON 1 RULE • Two teammates and an opponent are within 3 m (10 ft) of the ball while it is in play • Both teammates and the opponent are involved in active play • There is no 2-on-1 offense if there is no opponent within 3 m (10 ft) of the ball GOALIE RULE • Goalie has the advantage of having another defender within the goal area. The 2 on 1 rule does not apply as long as the Goalie is in the Goal Box. • Offense may have as many as 3 in the goal box, but it is difficult to do without creating a 2 on 1 • No blocking, holding, or impeding an INFRACTIONS opponent • No ramming • No clipping • No hands/body parts may touch the ball • No unsportsman-like behavior • Consequences may include: • Warning, yellow card, red card & ejection • Opposing team gets the ball, maybe a penalty kick PENALTY KICK • Any violation of the Law that denies a goal scoring opportunity (based upon the referee’s judgment) will result in a direct free kick. A penalty kick will be awarded if the violation occurs by a defender inside the goal box. • These kicks are also used to determine the winner in tied matches. MATCH VIDEOS USPSA 2016 Premier Cup Final Match – 1st half USPSA 2016 Premier Cup Final Match – 2nd half QUESTIONS? Arizona Disabled Sports: http://www.arizonadisabledsports.com/ 480-835-6273 United States Power Soccer Association: http://www.powersoccerusa.org/ Federation International of Powerchair Football Association: http://fipfa.org/ Barb Peacock [email protected] [email protected].