One of the highlights of All Abilities April - the 2022 Victorian Powerchair League finals - took place last weekend, in a live streamed event where Division 1 and 2 teams competed for the Championship.
Sunday, 24 April marked the end of ten rounds of competitive powerchair football culminating in the Championship Grand Final at the Melbourne Sports Centre Parkville. .
The sport is for those members of the community who use a powerchair (electric wheelchair) as part of their everyday lives. Four players a side on a basketball court, the players use an oversize ball to dribble, push, spin and flick kick the ball.
An intense battle in Division One saw South Melbourne FC unable break through the strong defence of Melbourne City FC. City had chances on the counter attack but weren’t able to capitalise on their opportunities. After forty minutes of play and then another ten in extra time it remained scoreless and headed for penalties. South Melbourne FC would emerge victorious 2-0 with Captain Shaun Mott saving three penalties.
A mixture of players representing all three clubs formed the two teams for the Division Two Championship match. The first goal of the season for Kyle Bozanic came in the early minutes of the second half which was enough to secure the win for his side.
Powerchair Football has a rich history in Melbourne and now features three clubs participating. Players representing Melbourne City FC, South Melbourne FC and Western United FC compete in the competitive Division One league and the development and social Division Two league.
The conclusion of the Championship matches lead to individual awards being given out for the 2022 Victorian Powerchair League season.
MOST VALUBLE PLAYER
- Division 1: Luke David
- Division 2: Noah Barlow
PLAYER'S PLAYER
- Division 1: Shaun Mott
GOLDEN GUARD
- Division 1: Jules North-Coombes
- Division 2: Adem Dani
MOST ASSISTS
- Division 1: Luke David
- Division 2: Dylan Azzopardi
If you're interested in learning more about Powerchair Football, or our other All Abilities programs, please visit the link below.
All Abilities Football | Football VictoriaFootball Victoria alongside broadcast partner SportsCast Australia managed the livestream of the two Championship matches, with commentary from Oliver Walker-Peel. The matches can be seen on the Football Victoria Facebook page below.