Amputee football
Amputee football is a disabled sport played with seven players on each team (six outfield players and one goalkeeper). Outfield players have lower extremity amputations, and goalkeepers have an upper extremity amputation. Outfield players use loftstrand (forearm) crutches, and play without their prostheses. HistoryThe beginnings of Amputee football can be traced to Europe in the early 1900s.[1]The game which is played today, was created by Don Bennett, who was inspired from his accidental kick of a basketball on crutches in 1982.[2] In 1984 the first international amputee football tournament was held in Seattle.[2] With the help of soccer coach Bill Barry, beginning in 1985, Amputee Soccer International was established.[2] Through exhibition matches in the 1980s, the sport attracted media attention and gained popularity.[2] In 2023, Marcin Oleksy from Warta Poznań, Poland became the first amputee footballer to win the FIFA Puskás Award for "most beautiful goal of the year" at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 ceremony.[3] Around the worldThere are several amputee football associations around the world. A couple examples of this are the England Amputee Association and The Irish Amputee Football Association.[4] Each organization promotes the advancement of the sport and that it gains more recognition. The England Amputee Football Association states their main goal on their website as: "The England Amputee Football Association's aim is to provide all amputees, people with congenital limb deficiencies and persons with restricted use of limbs, with the opportunity to play football locally, nationally and internationally."[5] Members51 nations in 2024:[6]
Main competitionsAmputee Football World CupEuropean Amputee Football ChampionshipAfrican Amputee Football Cup of NationsAsian Amputee Football ChampionshipSource: 2022[7]
Other championships
RulesThe official FIFA sanctioned rules are:[8]
See alsoReferences
External links
|