Amputee football

Last updated
Amputee football
ZaryenGamePhoto.jpg
Highest governing body World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF)
Characteristics
Team members7
TypeTeam sport, ball sport
Equipment Football (or soccer ball)
2017 European Amputee Football Championship final match between Turkey (red/black) and England. (blue). 2017EAFCfinalTURvsENG (46).jpg
2017 European Amputee Football Championship final match between Turkey (red/black) and England. (blue).

Amputee football is a disabled sport played with seven players on each team (six outfield players and one goalkeeper). Outfield players have lower extremity amputations, and goalkeepers have an upper extremity amputation. Outfield players use loftstrand (forearm) crutches, and play without their prostheses.

Contents

History

The beginnings of Amputee football can be traced to Europe in the early 1900s. [1] The game which is played today, was created by Don Bennett, who was inspired from his accidental kick of a basketball on crutches in 1982. [2] In 1984 the first international amputee football tournament was held in Seattle. [2] With the help of soccer coach Bill Barry, beginning in 1985, Amputee Soccer International was established. [2] Through exhibition matches in the 1980s, the sport attracted media attention and gained popularity. [2]

In 2023, Marcin Oleksy from Warta Poznań, Poland became the first amputee footballer to win the FIFA Puskás Award for "most beautiful goal of the year" at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 ceremony. [3]

Around the world

There are several amputee football associations around the world. A couple examples of this are the England Amputee Association and The Irish Amputee Football Association. [4] Each organization promotes the advancement of the sport and that it gains more recognition. The England Amputee Football Association states their main goal on their website as: "The England Amputee Football Association's aim is to provide all amputees, people with congenital limb deficiencies and persons with restricted use of limbs, with the opportunity to play football locally, nationally and internationally." [5]

Members

51 nations in 2024: [6]

  1. Asia: 10
  2. Europe: 15
  3. North America: 5
  4. South America: 6
  5. Africa: 15
  6. Oceania: 0

Main competitions

Amputee Football World Cup

European Amputee Football Championship

African Amputee Football Cup of Nations

Asian Amputee Football Championship

Source: 2022 [7]

Asian Amputee Football Confederation (AAFC) - President: Masayuki Sugino - 10 Nation Members in 2025: BANGLADESH,INDIA,INDONESIA,IRAN,IRAQ,JAPAN,MALAYSIA,PALESTINE,SYRIA,UZBEKISTAN

Other championships

YearEventHostDateGoldSilverBronze4th PlaceRef.
20121st Amp Futbol Cup Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw Sep 8-9Flag of England.svg  England Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland [10]
20132nd Amp Futbol Cup Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw Sep 7-8Flag of England.svg  England Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands [10]
20143rd Amp Futbol Cup Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw Sep 13-14 Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey Flag of England.svg  England Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine [10]
20154th Amp Futbol Cup Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw Jun 6-7Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands [10]
20176th Amp Futbol Cup Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw Jun 24-25Flag of England.svg  England Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
2024 1st African Para Games Flag of Ghana.svg Accra Sep 4-10Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Flag of Angola.svg  Angola

Rules

The official FIFA sanctioned rules are: [11]

See also

References

  1. "HISTORY OF AMPUTEE FOOTBALL – World Ampute Football Federation" . Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "World Amputee Football Federation - History of the Game".
  3. Summerscales, Robert (2023-02-12). "Polish Amputee Marcin Oleksy Wins 2022 FIFA Puskas Award". FanNation. Archived from the original on 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  4. "Home". Irish Amputee Football Association. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  5. "Home". Theeafa.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  6. "WAFF MEMBERS – World Ampute Football Federation".
  7. "ASIA – World Ampute Football Federation".
  8. https://amputeefootball.org/asia/
  9. https://amputeefootball.org/2025/02/13/uzbekistan-crowned-as-champioon-of-the-asian-amputee-football-championship-2025/
  10. 1 2 3 4 https://chtyvo.org.ua/authors/Hnatiuk_Vasyl/Ukraina_v_futbolnykh_turnirakh_invalidiv.pdf
  11. "Amputee football – The Rules of the Game". FIFA.com. 2016-02-04. Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved 2016-02-18.