FA makes World Cup dream possible for Powerchair England team
Formed in 2005, the Wheelchair Football Association (WFA) has 24 clubs competing nationally across its Premiership and Championship divisions, with four regional leagues below. There are 850 players in England taking part in a mixed-gender sport that is pushing for inclusion at the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020. This summer the national team was taken under the auspices of the FA for the first time- a landmark for one of the fastest-growing sports for disabled people in the country.
The FA's support of the national team will enable staff and players to focus completely on those tactics rather than worrying about fundraising. A modified powerchair costs £5,000 and, inevitably, parts need replacing from time to time. Also, every player has a full-time carer (normally a parent), which means the cost of travel and accommodation across the duration of a training camp or an international tournament can be extremely expensive.
Those stresses have now been removed, which is a huge shift, so much so that some of the England players' parents felt uncomfortable when asked to submit mileage claims to the FA.
Their structure and the increased level of interest, together with England's efforts at the World Cup in Paris two years ago, when they lost to USA in the final, convinced the FA it was time to take full control of the national powerchair team and provide the financial support and facilities that promise to make a huge difference.
At the same time, Colin Gordon was appointed England's head coach. Colin now leads the 12 members of England's powerchair football squad. A former professional footballer who went on to become a high-profile agent, Gordon holds the Uefa A licence and is head coach of Sporting Club Albion, one of 12 Premiership powerchair teams in England. Jeff Davis, the FA's national disability development manager, says:
"I met with the WFA eight years ago. The first thing they said to me was: 'Can we have an England team?' We had a small number of players and clubs. I said: 'What you need to do is build your base, because how can we truly say that the players we've got in the England select team are the best powerchair players?' Well, that's what they've done. And they deserve, because of the participation figures, to ensure we give them that opportunity to play as England. Before, they were having to raise all their own money [and play under the WFA]. The FA really wants to provide football for all players, not just for people who are mainstream and can run around, but also for these guys who have undoubtedly got fantastic skill, dedication and commitment."
Their talent and passion was evident during the inaugural England training camp at the national football centre in Burton this month. Using modified powerchairs, with attachments on the front and rear that act as feet, the players moved a 13-inch football about with remarkable control and accuracy. They generate the power to pass or shoot by spinning the chair and sweeping the ball in one fluid movement, which requires technique, timing and coordination. Adam Crowle, the team logistics manager, says:
"If you were to jump into the chair, you would be all over the place"
For powerchair users with a profound physical impairment, such as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, this is one of the few team sports they can play, because it is more about skill than physical exertion. The matches, which are 20 minutes each way, take place on an indoor pitch the size of a regulation basketball court. There are four players on each side and the goal is six metres wide. Colin, who has a 22 year old son with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, compares the sport to another:
"It's quite a tactical game. I'd say it has got a bit of a link to American football. A lot of goals are scored from set-plays – obviously the teams get used to certain things, so it's all about creating that play that's a bit different."
Jeff hopes that the facilities at St George's Park along with the expertise of the staff – Colin Gordon, Crowle and Steve Pearson, the assistant coach (all of whom are voluntary), had the services of a doctor, physiotherapist, powerchair technician and sports analyst during the three-day training camp – will give the team "those marginal gains to enable them to be the best" come the next World Cup in 2015. It is a fascinating challenge for the man tasked with delivering that success. Colin says:
"I think what you've got to appreciate is that the majority of people who've coached football play football. We haven't sat in those chairs and played. In fact, I would challenge any top coach – I might try and get Steve McClaren down here and one or two others – to come and watch and then go and have an effect on that group of players. It's very challenging. But we've all been around wheelchairs through family circumstances and situations, we know what players can do individually and what the chairs can do mechanically. What we don't know yet is how far we can open up the players' minds, to try and release them to play in a more open and attacking way."
For the England players, the new setup provided a glimpse into an exciting future, with the highlight for many being the moment they were given the same training kit that Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney wear. In the case of Jon Bolding, a 25-year-old Londoner who has a rare condition called central core myopathy, which causes leg muscles to develop at a slower rate than normal, the three lions on his chest served as a reminder of how far powerchair football has come in England. He says:
"I've been pretty much involved with the sport from the start, back in the days when we used to cut a car tyre in half for a bumper and attach it with string across the front of a NHS chair that went about 2mph. So to be involved from that point to now is massive. Throughout the years we've been an unofficial England team, where we've never worn the shirt. It was nice to be associated with England but deep down you knew it was not 'the England team'. So to be here and get given the kit is amazing. This is the best place you could ever be."
Adapted piece from the Guardian article, by Stuart James, Wednesday 16 October 2013.
