CARMEL, IN – The United States Power Soccer Association is the governing body for the sport of power soccer in the US. Power soccer is the fastest growing adaptive sport in the world and is played in 15 countries. This is not “an everyone wins” sport. There will be cheers for those who are victorious, and there will be tears for those who lose—that is the attraction for most players who participate in this great sport.
In 2006, seven countries came together to hold a summit in Atlanta, Ga, and the result was a standardization of the laws, and the forming of an International Federation. From that meeting, the first World Cup was held in Tokyo, Japan, and the first US National Team competition was formed. The growth and development of the sport has been tremendous, hampered only by time and funding.
Power soccer, or power chair football as it is known elsewhere in the world, is a four vs four game played on a regulation size basketball court. The players use the power of their wheelchair to spin pass, kick, and score goals on their opponent. Tactics, rules, and strategy are similar to the outdoor game.
This sport is played by persons with cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, or any other number of disabilities that place a person in a power wheelchair.
As with any sport, it is not just about winning and losing. Life skills are developed to prepare for contributions to an independent lifestyle and productive contribution to society.
We are excited to have the opportunity to display these great athletes in front of HME’s top manufacturers and providers—to show their equipment is only the first step in independence—and to show that these people who have had an unfortunate circumstance can become productive members of society. All they need is a little help to discover their abilities, and power soccer helps to facilitate that end.
Dominic Russo is president of the United States Power Soccer Association, Carmel, Indiana.