FA Disability Cup shows strength of disability football, but it should happen more
Sitting among the crowd at St. George’s Park for the annual FA Disability Cup gave a glimpse at how accessible football can be. Here, there were no barriers, only possibilities, as viewers were left with no excuses that football can’t be a sport for all.
Those viewers were plentiful. Not only were there spectators welcomed onsite but the weekend of football was also broadcast live on TNT Sports to viewers at home.
The finals for partially sighted, amputee, blind, cerebral palsy, powerchair, and deaf football were played out at the home of English football over two days of matches on June 29th and 30th.
Attending on the second day of competition, the Sports Gazette witnessed three fiercely competitive matches in a showcase of sports that far too often do not receive the focus they deserve.
In the first match of the day, favourites Norwich City seemed to have one hand on the trophy after 40 minutes in the Cerebral Palsy Final, putting themselves 4-0 ahead. But their opponents, Chelsea, in their debut Disability Cup Final, had other ideas.
A hard-fought comeback brought the Blues two goals within touching distance at 5-3 by the 55th minute with momentum on Chelsea’s side. Yet it was the experience that won out for the Canaries, having fallen to defeat in last year’s Disability Cup final.
England player and Paralympian Liam Irons completed a six-goal rout for Norwich City as he was awarded player of the match in the 6-3 victory.
Norwich captain Owen Woodrow said: “I’m so happy. I’ve got a lot of my family here today, so to see them happy and to see everybody smiling, that was great.
“[Being live on TNT Sports] is absolutely massive. It’s so important to spread the limelight and the joy of disability sport. Whether that be cerebral palsy, deaf, visually impaired or powerchair, it doesn’t matter what it is, it’s just getting the word out there.”
The nine-goal thriller will certainly have kept viewers hooked, yet Woodrow, who has been at Norwich for over 10 years, goes beyond on-pitch performance to ensure more people have access to sport as a coach himself.
He reflected: “Being a role model is great because I’m passing on my knowledge and experience to the younger generation. Ethan over there, he’s been incredible. He’s six, and he’s only been to a couple of football sessions, but he’s brilliant, he’s absolutely brilliant.”
For so many in the crowd like Ethan, who are just starting in sport with a disability, the FA Disability Cup and adaptations of football on display prove what is possible in their future. The hope is that accessibility and support will only have increased by the time they step into Woodrow’s shoes.
Following Norwich’s triumph, it was over to the futsal arena for a closely contested match between European Champions Aspire PFC and West Bromwich Albion in the powerchair final.
With England captain Jon Bolding of Aspire and England vice-captain Chris Gordon of West Brom both leading their respective teams, it was a competition for bragging rights as well as the trophy in a well-developed rivalry.
While Aspire had got the upper hand in the European Champions League, it was West Brom’s turn to enjoy celebrations on this occasion.
The Hawthorns went 1-0 up in seven minutes through a Gordon long shot that was glanced home at the post by new signing Argentinian Valentino Zegarelli. Aspire’s late attacking changes in search of an equaliser left them exposed at the back as they took off their keeper.
West Brom took advantage with Marcus Harrison doubling their lead with the last touch of the game in the 40th minute to give 2-0 victory to the Hawthorns.
Goalscorer Zegarelli said: “I feel very happy to win this cup. We wanted to win today because they are the Champions League champions, so it’s a big game for us.”
Wrapping up the weekend was the Deaf Final where heavyweights Farsley Celtic and St. John’s met for the second time they had faced each other in a final this season.
A poor first half from Farsley Celtic saw St. John’s take a comfortable 2-0 lead into the break. Abdou Jobe turned home at the near post in the third minute before Byron Down calmly slotted home on the break in the 30th minute.
A resurgent Farsley sought to claw back the damage in the second half as Joe Dixon poked home from a corner to halve the advantage in the 68th minute. Despite their best efforts, including hitting the crossbar in the dying minutes, St John’s held onto their lead and were soon holding onto the trophy.
Player of the match Jobe said: “I feel amazing to get to the final and win. It’s a really special feeling. It was a good end to the season. As a team, we’ve put everything on the pitch. Heart, blood, sweat and tears have gone into getting to the final and achieving what we have today.”
Sat among the crowd it was clear how accessible sport has the potential to be. Fans and players alike were signing to each other and among themselves and yet outside this space, visibility of disability is all too rare.
The FA Disability Cup created an arena in which elite sport can be celebrated for being just that with six enthralling matches. Yet it also set a standard that demonstrated sport can and should be for everyone.
While this happens all year round at those clubs that competed, such talent deserves more than one weekend a year in the limelight.
