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OVERVIEW
Power Soccer was the first competitive team sport designed and developed specifically for power wheelchair users. Athletes' disabilities include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and cerebral palsy, among others. The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court. Two teams of four players attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in a skill-based and challenging game similar to able-bodied soccer.
HISTORY
Power Soccer was first played in France in the 1970s. The sport then spread to other European countries and Canada during the early 1980s. By 1988, power soccer had disseminated throughout the United States. In 2005, six countries met in Paris to create an international organization of Power Soccer and to unify the rules of the sport to facilitate international competition. In 2006, the United States Power Soccer Organization (USPSA) was formed, formally uniting the sport nationally.
RULES
The following are the rules of the sport as defined by the USPSA:
-The game is played on a standard sized basketball court.
-A match consists of two 20-minute halves.
-Each team is allowed three field players and a goalkeeper.
-Players must use a powerchair with four or more wheels.
-A player may not go faster than 10 km/h (6.2 mph) during a game.
-When the ball leaves the perimeter of the field, the players kick the ball back into play.
-Intentionally ramming into another player may result in a penalty.
-Failure to comply with the following two rules will result in a foul and an award of an indirect free kick.
-To prevent clumping, only one player and one opponent are allowed within 3 meters of the ball when it is in play (The only exception is if one of the two teammates is a goalkeeper within his/her own goal area.)
-The defending team is only allowed two players in its own goal area.
Power Soccer
Francisco Centeno & George Sanchez
“It was a great experience; as a soccer fan, I really enjoyed learning more about Power Soccer and look forward to seeing it incorporated into the Brown community someday.” — Francisco Centeno ‘15