Equal Footingball (Growing the world game for People with Disabilities)

What's On Now:

1. Equal Footingball League season in swing (see section below)
2. AFFFA Program for adults in Alternatives to Employment and Residential Care (see section below)
3. Disabilities in Football Week in final preparations (see section below)
4. Nominations open for Inclusive Awards (see below section)
5. Special Olympics Bouncers Program, ages 6 to 12 (see section below)
6. Junior Competitions Concessions - players with a disadvantage applying to play down an age group (see section below)

What is Equal Footingball All About?

Most people out there will know someone or know of someone who could benefit from an opportunity to be involved in football programs specially tailored for people with disabilities. Equal Footingball is a community-minded initiative to ensure that people with disabilities have similar opportunities and access to football for fun, social participation and elite development compared to fully able-bodied players. Football West in partnership with the WA Department of Sport and Recreation employs an Inclusive Development Officer to (amongst other things) deliver fun football programs to involve people with disabilities in the world game.

Many Australians play the sport regularly and the popularity (the only football code that appears in the Australian Top Ten Sports and Physical Recreational Activities by Participation and is the most played team sports for males and females in Australia with almost 1.7 million participants) is often attributed to its simplicity; a ball and some basic objects as make-shift posts and anyone can play.

Football West and Football Federation of Australia have asserted their support for the 'Football for All' principle and committed to responsibilities to ensure the growth of the football community includes people with disabilities. Click here to view the policies.

Football West has recently established pathways for players with disabilities to ensure a wide range of playing options and representative opportunities with more options to be added. For player pathways document click here.

Our Partners and Supporters:

• Department of Sport and Recreation (WA)
• Australian Paralympic Committee
• Special Olympics WA
• Wheelchair Sports WA
• Therapy Focus

• The Centre for Cerebral Palsy  

THE AWARD WINNING Equal Footingball League (11s to 18s)

Players are now registering at local clubs for the 2012 competition season.

Click here for Flyer for the 2012 competition season!

For Fixtures - click here. This weekend Sunday 13 May all teams with training at home (Western Knights on break), then Sunday 20 May Kelmscott Roos hosts Cockburn City and Forrestfield United while Tuart Hill hosts Western Knights.

For Competition Rules - click here

Facts Sheet for Industry and General Public - click here

The clubs on board for 2012: 

• Cockburn City SC (in Spearwood) / contact Heidi 0407 150 911 / http://www.cockburncity.org/ /   Venue Map / Now registering players. Sunday 13 May training at home 11:15am.

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• Forrestfield United SC (in Forrestfield) / contact Tanya 0417 956 120 / http://www.fusc.org.au/.  Venue  Map / Now registering players. Sunday 13 May training at home, time TBA. 

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• Kelmscott Roos SC (in Kelmscott) / contact Jannine 0416 342 248 / http://www.kelmscottroos.com.au.  Venue Map / Now registering players. Sunday 13 May training away at Forrestfield United, time TBA.

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• Tuart Hill SC (in Nollamara) / contact Angie 0416 267 567 /  http://www.tuarthillsoccer.com/   Venue map /   Now registering players. Sunday 13 May training at home 9:00am.

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•  Western Knights SC (in Mosman Park) / contact Luke 0409 395 315 / www.westernknights.com.au /   Venue Map / Registrations nearly full. Sunday 13 May - break for Mothers Day.

Other information: 

• The competition caters for teenage boys and girls for whom playing on a full-size pitch would be difficult.
• The competition kicked off May 2011.
• Equal Footingball Club League is Western Australia's junior (soccer) football competition created to provide playing opportunities for teenagers with disabilities and is unique in WA.
• The clubs continue to sign on young people with disabilities who would like to experience the world game in an inclusive environment.
• Games and training take place on weekends, in most cases Sunday mornings and surrounded by vibrant active junior game days.

Active Football Fun for Adults (AFFFA)

Click here for program flyer

Click here for program calendar

We are seeking people who need positive stimulation during the day and would benefit from an opportunity to be physically and socially active, make some new friends and learn some skills to participate. The AFFFA participation-based program is especially suited to people in Alternatives to Employment Programs and Residential Care. People of all skill and experience levels can participate and can bring friends and relatives along to encourage wider participation.

After many months spent recognising the need expressed from the community and taking in feedback from people in Alternatives to Employment Programs and Residential Care we are ready to roll out this next stage in community engagement.

Some features of the program:

• Game suited to all levels of ability and experience
• Fully qualified coaching with experience coaching players of all abilities
• Daytime sessions for the weekday participation program, making it easier for carers and support workers to attend
• Flexibility in the program so we can take game play outdoors when the sun is shining and indoors when it is wet
• Is a stepping stone for people with disabilities graduating from Football West's junior competitions
• There is a talent development pathway to enable players who have the interest and determination to develop their skills and be able to represent WA or Australia one day
• A new fun-focused program.
• A cost-free higher level development program for all AFFFA participants who seek a higher level of training as well in an inclusive environment
• Plans to progress the program with greater levels of inclusion by bringing our participants to the mainstream club environment
• Friends, helpers and carers will be given access to free coaching courses to help them facilitate more people playing outside of the program. 

For participants, shorts and t-shirt, a full drink bottle and a pair of shoes ideal to run in are recommended.

The sessions listed in the attached calendar are free of cost, however for the post-July dates to be added a small fee will be applied to cover court hire.

We will commence with a few sessions of skill activities and small games at multiple venues in Perth before the July break and then after July consolidate the program times and locations according to interest.

WA Disabilities in Football Week

2012 - Tuesday 5 June to Sunday 10 June - Details below. Click on listed event for further information, some events to be finalised still. Click on venue for map.

In 2011 Football West with Special Olympics WA worked on this inaugural initiative for June 2011 promoting football opportunities for people with disabilities and to create a week of various participation and education opportunities related to inclusive football. 

A rainy morning didn't dampen the spirits of the participants and officials involved in Football West's opening of WA Disabilities in Football Week.

Three programs were on show with the Opening Day of WA Disabilities in Football Week; WA Paralympic Football, the Special Olympics program and Equal Footingball. The opening ceremony featured speeches by Football West Board Member Liam Twigger and Special Olympics WA State Development Manager Di Bruce.

The week also featured:

• A grassroots coaching course
• Special Olympics Junior Ribbon Day with 124 children from various education support centres in attendance 
• Special Olympics team and WA Paralympic Football squad, both playing their first match
• Equal Footingball match - Western Knights versus Cockburn City & Tuart Hill

2012 Inclusive Awards

The nominations for the 2012 WA Inclusive Development Awards are now open. The awards recognise individuals who have stood out with their performance and contribution to our sport and build the profile of the inclusive and multicultural nature of our sporting community in the last 12-months.

We welcome nominations for individuals you feel are worthy of recognition for their role in our football community. Nominating a person is very easy. Click here for the criteria for the Official and Player awards.

WA Paralympic Football Program

Football West is working in partnership with Australian Paralympic Committee, Wheelchair Sports WA and The Centre for Cerebral Palsy to deliver opportunities for people with Cerebral Palsy, stroke injury and certain acquired brain injuries in WA Paralympic Football; the ongoing program developing the skills, ability and fitness of young people who can choose whether to participate socially or join the WA State team 'The Cavalry' with the possibility of being called up to join the Australian Pararoos squad, as two young players have in recent months.

The ongoing program aims to give junior players as much assistance as possible to represent WA (The Cavalry) and Australia in the future. Prenstly two WA players are in the Australian Pararoos Squad competing in an international tournament in Ukraine.

The first WA representative team (The Cavalry) competed in the National Championships in April 2012.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

Friday 13 April 6pm QLD 6 v 0 WA

Saturday 14 April 2:30pm WA 1 v 0 SA

Saturday 14 April 5pm Vic 2 v 1 WA

Sunday 15 April 5pm WA 0 v 7 NSW

WA Captain and player Chris Barty awarded Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

THIS WEEK'S SESSION:   Program on break following National Championships. Next session is Saturday 9 June 9:30am to 11:30am with the Annual Showdown match. Venue is Gibbney Reserve, Maylands.  Participants should bring drinks, comfortable sports clothes, playing boots and shin pads.

May 19 - Wheelchair Sports WA Quiz night - WA Paralympic Football players are encouraged to join the WAPF tables and be involved in fun and fundraising.

Please refer to the following documents for more information on this program:

Program Flyer

WAPF Calendar

Paralympic Football Rules

Paralympic Football Player Classification

David Cantoni - Paralympic Journeyman

See information related to Australian Paralympic Football:

http://www.paralympic.org.au/sports/football

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/2009ParalympicFootball/default.aspx?s=paralympic_new

Special Olympics Bouncer Program

Following on from a successful pilot day, this ongoing fortnightly program is being delivered to children ranging from 6 years to 12 years in the sport of soccer commencing Tuesday 21st February at 3.45pm to 4.30pm at Raphael Park, Victoria Park.

The program is open to all children, regardless of ability, disability or skill level. The season will run until the end of term 2, with breaks over Easter and the school holidays.

Click here for flyer.

Power Football / aka Powerchair Football

Media Release:

POWER FOOTBALL ROLLS INTO NEW FRONTIER

A joint initiative between Football West, The Centre for Cerebral Palsy and the Western Electric Sporting Association will bring the Power Football (soccer) Program into the open with an open day at Subiaco AFC. The major event will be held at Onslow Tennis Club on Onslow Road in Shenton Park surrounded by the Sunday football (soccer) matches taking place at Rosalie Park, the home of Subiaco AFC.

Power Football is the format of the world game devised for people who use power chairs to assist with their mobility. The object of the game is for a team to score a goal past the opposition team, with just a few technical rules which ensure a free-flowing tactical team game.

Power Football Technical Advisor Conor Murphy said: "Power Football is a great game as it allows anyone who uses an electric wheelchair to participate in sport and experience being part of a team.  This sport also allows players who are good enough to play at state and international level with the Paralympics being the next step once the sport is accepted.  This open day has been great in introducing new people to this wonderful sport and it is also good to see renewed interest developing.  Power Football has a bright future and hopefully this open day will be the first step towards a permanent presence in WA."

Lucy Pearson, Recreation Officer at The Centre for Cerebral Palsy said that Power Football provides a great opportunity for the people who use its services. "This dynamic and exciting sport enables our members to come on board, have some fun and drive the sport forward at the same time," Lucy said.

Football West Inclusive Development Officer Gordon Duus said: "We are excited to be able to bring this sport out into the open from a very confined and restricted environment in a gymnasium to the real club environment. We hope that this day not only opens up new participation opportunities to people but also forms some new partnerships that will bring this sport into the local spotlight and emulate some of the major expansion and successes the sport has encountered in the northern hemisphere."

"This is another in a long line of positive steps for Football West living out the ‘football for all' ideology."

The open day will feature a function in the Subiaco AFC clubhouse, a skills session and a game or two and to finish off drinks and a barbeque. The venue is accessible and people of all ages are welcome to attend.  People with a power chair aged 12 and older can participate in the sporting activity.

For further details or to RSVP contact Lucy at The Centre for Cerebral Palsy on 9443 0287.

The Open Day is at Onslow Tennis Club on Onslow Road in Shenton Park starting 12:30pm on Sunday 18 September. Click here for flyer.

Junior Competition Concessions Program (5s to 17s)

Football West operates a program to encourage young players with various levels of ability to become involved. With the support of a club and parents, a child with a physical disadvantage can apply and receive clearance to play down an age group to reduce the competitive disadvantage with their peers. Contact the Football West competitions department for details.

Inclusive Football Awards 

2012 Nominations for the two below awards are now open. Click here for criteria. 

• Disabilities in Football - Player Achievement Award (David Cantoni Medal)

• Disabilities in Football - Contribution as an Official or Administrator

2011's Awards:

Presentations for the following disability-based awards were made as part of the WA Disabilities in Football Week Opening Ceremony on Saturday 18 June 2011.

 WA Paralympic Football player Chris Barty was awarded the ‘David Cantoni Player Achievement Award' for his efforts.

Cantoni, adjudicating and presenting the award said: "There were so many worthy nominations and it was a tough decision that I can only see getting harder as the sport progresses with both mainstream clubs and the Equal Footingball program taking a hold in helping those with a disability achieve their dreams.

"Chris (Barty) is a fine example to many of what can be achieved when a player commits themselves to their goals and dreams. From Chris's nomination it is obvious that Chris has put much into the sport since taking it up and it is great to see his dreams coming to fruition."

Since taking up the sport less than six months ago, Barty has signed with a mainstream senior men's team as a goalkeeper, attended additional goalkeeper specific training sessions and has won a Bronze medal at the National Paralympic Football Championships in Adelaide earlier this year. Barty was also very close to being selected in the National Paralympic Football Team (The Pararoos) that will compete in Holland in the hope of earning a place at the 2012 London Paralympics.

As a show of strength in the efforts of the people behind the WA Paralympic Football Program, the award for Contribution as an Official went to volunteer Paralympic Football Coach David Cantoni.

In 2010-11 he completed Football Federation Australia's Youth Licence and the C-Licence course to join an elite group of advanced coaches in Western Australia. Cantoni also volunteered his personal time on Saturday mornings throughout the year to conduct the WA Paralympic Football sessions at every opportunity and helped propel the program from three to 15 regular participants with a potential squad to represent WA at the 2012 National Championships.