For the first time, a match day of the Powerchair-Football Bundeliga took place in Bonn. In addition to Bonner SC, teams from Hamburg, Dresden and Munich competed.
The project offers people with severe physical disabilities the opportunity to participate in club sports in the form of football. Since 2018, 6 teams across Germany have been competing with electric wheelchairs specially modified for this sport. The Bonner SC will set up a department in this sport for the first time in 2020.
To the background; The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognized electric wheelchair sport. At the game day in Bonn you could see that on the one hand it is a real competitive sport and on the other hand the offer fits into the concept of taking on social responsibility by integrating people.
Electric wheelchair soccer is an exciting new form of inclusive sport. People with different physical disabilities from medium to severe handicaps play football together. The composition of the teams is special. Unlike in traditional football, men, women and young people of all ages form a playing community here. The only central but connecting element is the electric wheelchair. This is equipped with a “guard”, a kind of extended bumper that serves as protection, but above all is used to put the ball into play, hit passes or deflect them. A team consists of three field players and a goalkeeper. The game is played on a field the size of a basketball court.
In addition to the Bonner SC, the following teams from Germany started in Bonn:
The reigning German champions were the Knights-Barmstedt from Hamburg, the Munich Sharks and the Munich White Sharks from Bavaria and the Dresden Lions and the Dresden Cats from Saxony.
After almost six hours of intense games, each lasting 2x 20 minutes, the day of play, which was designed as a tournament, ended. The teams played exciting games of impressive tactical quality, but above all due to the high technical mastery of the electric wheelchairs.
In any case, one can state that in addition to the sporting achievements, the inclusive idea has won.
Text: BSC/ Hempel
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