From soccer, hockey to rugby league, there are a variety of different sports for players who use powerchairs for daily mobility to get involved in. Powerchair sports is growing all around the world and especially in Australia.
A unique version of wheelchair hockey was originally created in Melbourne in the late 1970’s for people with muscular dystrophy. It began at special schools and quickly became so popular that in 1985 a national competition was formed and has been running annually. Since then, more sports, more pathways and more opportunities have been created for people to participate in powerchair sports at a social and competitive level.
Sit tight and let’s learn more about Powerchair Sports Victoria!
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Love Sport? Let's learn about... Powerchair Sports Victoria
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What is Powerchair Sports Victoria?
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Powerchair Sports Victoria, formerly Victorian Electric Wheelchair Sports Association (VEWSA) is the peak body for powerchair sports in Victoria. They are a community based, non-profit association led by the players, parents and volunteers.
Powerchair Sports Victoria aims to provide sport and recreational opportunities for people who use a powerchair for mobility.
These opportunities include team sporting events at Regional, National and International levels of competition. Powerchair Sports Victoria plays an important role in advocating for change and promoting powerchair sports to society.
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Victorian Powerchair League
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The VPL exists to enable Victorians with a disability to participate in a competitive sporting environment. It gives players an opportunity to be a part of a team and to grow as leaders on and off the court.
The competition runs most weeks from August to April. There are 15 rounds during the season which is followed by a championship decider. The league has two sports, both with separate championships. The two sports are Powerchair Football and Powerchair Hockey and the current teams are; Melbourne City, South Melbourne (Football), Melbourne Hunters, and the Melbourne Ducks (Hockey). The league also provides a platform for players to be selected on the national level and even the international level.
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Powerchair Football is a fast-paced entertaining sport that draws inspiration from Indoor Football (soccer). There are 4 players per team on the court, and players use specifically made guards to dribble and “kick” the ball around with the intention to gain maximum power through spinning (spin kick) or by using the speed of the ball.
The yearly national showcase event of the year for Powerchair Football is the APFA Club Championships. Traditionally held in January, teams from all over Australia and New Zealand compete for the national title. Both Victorian Powerchair Football teams have previously competed in the event with South Melbourne attending the most recent one in January of 2020 which consisted of 11 teams.
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Powerchair Hockey
Powerchair Hockey is based loosely on Floorball and Ice Hockey. A barrier or rink surrounds the court, allowing for a free flowing fast paced game. Players can choose to be either a hand-held stick player or a t-stick player which allows players to attach a stick to the front of the chair. Teams consist of 5 players on the court and typically have a mixture of hand-held stick players and t-stick players.
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Powerchair Hockey also has a national Club Championship. The first one was held in Sydney in November 2019 consisting of teams from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and two from Canada! The Melbourne Ducks finished in 2nd place, falling to Adelaide in the final, while the Melbourne Hunters finished in 5th place.
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Powerchair Rugby is based on the rules of Rugby League. The objective is to pass the try line without being tackled/hit. The game is played by imagining the flight of a ball between numbered players who call the number of their team mate who is intended to receive the ‘ball’. Players make tackles by making contact with their powerchair. Once a try is scored, a tennis ball is used to convert the try just like traditional rugby.
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The Pride Cup is a best of 3 series/fundraising event held every year by Powerchair Sports Victoria. It started back in 2014 and is currently played by two teams, the Dragons and the Scorpions. Teams are selected and stay together for all 3 sports. The team that wins 2 out of the 3 sports wins the event. The event is typically held before the NEWS competition in April.
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National Electric Wheelchair Sports competition, known as NEWS, is a showcase event to demonstrate the all-round skills of players in 3 different sports. NEWS was the brainchild of Roger Melnyk who had Muscular Dystrophy and was the Executive Officer of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Victoria. He took his idea to the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of Australia and the sports were developed to give athletes an opportunity to compete for their state.
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The most recent event in 2019 saw New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia compete and consisted of Powerchair Football, Powerchair Hockey and Powerchair Rugby. In the past, teams from Queensland, ACT, and New Zealand have also competed.
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If all goes well and numbers improve due to lockdown and other ongoing pandemic health measures, Powerchair Sports Victoria will look at starting training in October with a view to begin the season in November. This however is fully dependent on the COVID-19 numbers. The committee will continue to monitor the situation, listen to department advice, and change plans if required.
For more information about the return to play situation, please click here.
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Powerchair Sports Victoria encourages anyone who is interested in playing or volunteering to attend one of the upcoming events, when restrictions allow. It is entirely free to try out the sports and see how everything is run, have a chat with the players and organisation, and see if it's a good fit for you!
You can contact the President of Powerchair Sports Victoria, Luke David via 0424 160 174 or via email luke.david@psv.org.au
You can also find out more information about the sports, pathways and everything you need to know via the website www.psv.org.au.
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