News
Aspire Powerchair Football Team take on Europe
Last week, Aspire Powerchair Sports Club hosted this year's Wheelchair Football “Powerchampions League”. This is only the second event of its kind and the first ever to be held in the UK. It's based on mainstream football’s Champions League, with the National Champions from around Europe competing against each other to become Champions of Europe.
Eight teams from four countries - England, France, Belgium and Denmark - took part, with Aspire Powerchair Football Club, as National Champions, representing England.
The opening ceremony took place on the Friday evening where around 200 players, guests, and officials were privileged to witness the unveiling of the International Paralympic Committee Flag as part of the sport of Wheelchair Football being recognized by the IPC.
The competition itself ran over the weekend. The play was of the highest standard from the very first whistle and the games were very close. Aspire PFC played some great football but were unfortunate to come third in their group, ultimately managing a credible fifth overall in the competition.
The eventual winners were the French National Champions Montauban who Aspire lost out to in the group stages.
Aspire’s Steve Kelly said, “although, as hosts, we’re very disappointed not going further, we’ve had a great competition, learnt a lot, and are eager to put things right for next year.”