POWERCHAIR football is probably not a sport many people have come across before. Frome is the home of the only team of its kind in the whole of Somerset, based at Frome Sport and Fitness Centre.
Frome Falcons report, “Imagine playing a game of football, but in go-karts. The sport isn’t far off that. Instead of go-karts, players use a joy-stick to manoeuvre electric powerchairs with big bumpers attached to the front. Now double the size of a regular football, remove the cross-bar off the goal, play inside a sports hall and compete 4 v 4; voila! – you have powerchair football.
“The Frome Falcons started in 2018 at the Frome Youth Centre on Vallis Road and is specifically for children and adults with physical disabilities. Huge interest from communities as far as Yeovil evidenced a real need for a club like this, and nearly three years on, the Falcons have soared to unanticipated heights.
“Now boasting a club of nearly 20 players (the vast majority under the age of 16), they train every fortnight and compete in the South West League, hosted in Exeter. Well, until March 2020 that was. Like a lot of groups and clubs and teams, training was put on hold with no return date in sight. So instead, the Falcons had to turn to wi-fi and meet virtually to maintain togetherness and keep connected.
“We held an end-of-season award ceremony with some extremely worthy winners, which spilled over to an online Christmas party featuring a fantastic quiz and some festive games. Every player received goodies delivered to their doorstep and we told them we couldn’t wait to be playing again ‘soon’.
“Soon continues to elude us, particularly given how so many of our players are in the vulnerable categories or have been shielding.
“All through the last 10 months however, keeping spirits high and retaining the sense of identity we had built up with such importance was critical. A viral ‘Pass-the-Ball challenge’ was orchestrated and absolutely smashed by every single Falcon, much to the amusement and interest of social media.
“For now, we continue to wait to return to play the game we love. The Falcons are poised and ready to fly!
“If you’re interested to find out more about the sport or The Falcons, visit our Facebook page facebook.com/fromefalconspfc and send us a message.”
