Leeds Powerchair FC (LPFC) has been in existence since October 2012 and was formed as a direct result of the 2012 London Games. A group of parents/carers decided to build and develop a platform for people with complex physical disabilities to access the “Beautiful Game”
In a very short space of time the club has grown to provide coaching, training and competitive playing opportunities for over 30 players. The sport is the only one which offers a fast paced, highly skilled game which provides a huge adrenaline rush to those with complex motor or cognitive skills.
The Club has players ranging from 4 through to mid 60’s with a mix of gender, but mainly male. Players have conditions such as Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, SMA, Spina Bifida, Brain Injuries and Brittle bones. The years of fundraising have allowed us to purchase chairs that can be used by players who are unable to secure funds to purchase their own chair. Anyone who comes to a session can be catered for, no one has ever been turned away.
The game is played by a team of 4 on a basketball court size pitch, each half lasts for 20 minutes. Each player may have a designated sports powerchair, some will play in a general day chair. LPFC can offer football to anyone, at a level that suits them. We have local league teams who play at a Development level, Regional leagues for improving players and National leagues for those elite players. LPFC are actively involved in the promotion and development of the game providing taster sessions and demos in schools, colleges and is continually working with Disability sports officers across the whole Yorkshire area.
The club is run totally by volunteers who provide, coaching, team management, refereeing, chair maintenance and fundraising.
LPFC were the founding members and driving force in developing the Yorkshire Powerchair Football Federation (YPFF). YPFF was formed to provide support and advice to newly developing clubs and teams across Yorkshire. To date YPFF has provided CPD for coaches, Safeguarding and Emergency Aid training, successful fundraising to purchase powerchairs to be pooled for players to use, managed and run the Yorkshire League and Cup for the last 5 years and proved to be an invaluable resource for clubs regionally. To date the membership includes clubs from Leeds, Bradford, York, Hull, Rotherham and Middlesbrough.
Since 2012 the club has progressed to a point where it is now considered to be among the leading clubs in the North.
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