Crystal Palace Powerchair FC back in action
The Crystal Palace Powerchair football team is back up and running for the new season. The team has weekly training sessions at 6pm on a Wednesday at the Waddon Leisure Centre and thanks to the continued support of the Croydon Local Authority’s Active Lifestyles Team, we are looking to be bigger and better this year!
Powerchair footballer Joel and coach Michael Harrington
To help achieve this we are delighted to show off the brand new high specification Powerchair that has been recently donated to us by the CHIPS Charity. This sleek, powerful chair will really make a difference to the lucky players who get to play in it. Once such player, Joel Sprouse, gave us his thoughts on the new chair:
“I thought that it was really fast and fun to try. With a bit of practice it will definitely help the team and we may even start winning a few matches. I would like to say a massive thanks to those who fundraised for and bought this chair.”
The Foundation’s Disability Manager and head Powerchair coach, Michael Harrington, saw for himself the effect that this new chair had on the group: “As soon as one of the players got in this chair, the whole feeling of the game changed. The volume went up a notch and the smiles on the faces were clear to see. These new style chairs give our players the opportunity to compete with the other teams in their league on a far more even basis.
“However we do still have a little way to go with upgrading our remaining six chairs so all our players can make the most of these new modern chairs at all times. The chairs cost about £7,000 each so we are always looking out for, and very grateful to receive, any fundraising opportunities or donations that can be made to help our players get the best possible experience of playing for Crystal Palace.”
To find out more about our Powerchair team, or any of our other disability programmes, contact the Foundation’s Disability Manager, Michael Harrington, on 07808323039, or by email: michaelharrington@palaceforlife.org