Media Release: Australian Powerchair Championships ready for kick-off
Powerchair football is one of the fastest growing sports for powered wheelchair users around the globe. A competitive, challenging team game, powerchair football combines the skill of the wheelchair user with the speed and power of the chair itself.
2012 marks the second National Championships for powerchair football in Australia after the first edition of the tournament was held in August last year. Sides from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia will contest the competition, with the top performing players selected to represent the green and gold at the 2013 Asia Pacific Oceania (APO) Cup. Australian Powerchair Football Association President, Mr Matt Cross, said the sport of powerchair football has come a long way since in Australia the governing body was officially formed in 2010.
?To take on and not only meet but exceed expectations for all the we had on the table for the year has been a terrific achievement,? Cross said.
?This National Championship is especially important as at the culmination, the Australian teams will be selected to contest the APO Cup to be held in Sydney for the first time next year.?
While the action gets underway at 10am this morning with Western Australia meeting Victoria in the first fixture of the Championships, the players along with their families and friends have in fact been in camp since Sunday.
Indeed, an arrival dinner and official welcome was held on Sunday evening, before the players got down to business on Monday and Tuesday honing their powerchair football skills with a range of all in and team based training sessions.
The 2012 National Championships for Powerchair Football conclude on Friday 16 November with the third place play-off at 1:30pm before the top two sides following the round-robin phase battle it out for the title of Australian Champions from 2:45pm.
Presentations will follow the final, while NSW representative Andy Waite will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most number of spins in an electric wheelchair in a minute.
And former Qantas Socceroos mentor Rale Rasic will be one of the many interested observers at the Championships.
Rasic was Head Coach of the ?Poweroos? at the 2011 World Cup in Paris, helping Australia achieve a seventh place finish.
?These players are amazing,? Rasic said. ?It is such a privilege to watch them play ? they have no disability to me.
?They are wonderful teams, and I hope people will share my enjoyment and come watch them play this week.”
The National Championships will be held at Kevin Betts Stadium (Ralph Place, Mt Druitt) with games played 14-16 November between 10am to 4pm each day.
The full press release is contained below.
Wednesday 14 November, 2012
THE National Championships for Powerchair Football commences at the Kevin Betts Stadium in Mount Druitt this morning with four state teams battling it out over three days to be recognised as the top powerchair football side in Australia.
The NSW team consists of; Chris Turnbull, Kristy McCarthy, Dimitri Liolio-Davis, Abdulah Karim, James Kim, Alex Scollard, Andy Waite and Peter Dalrymple.
The 2013 APO Cup will feature national teams from Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia, and will be held at Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush from January 21 to 26.
