THE Western Sydney Wanderers Powerchair Football team won their first game of the season against the Central Coast Mariners 3-2 at the weekend.
Powerchair Football is a relatively new sport in Australia.
The participants all get around in motorised wheelchairs.
But come Saturday afternoon, they travel to Mount Druitt and swap their day chairs for lighter, lowered and more powerful chairs to play their own distinct version of football.
The New South Wales Powerchair Football League is made up of four teams: The Newcastle Jets; Central Coast Mariners; Sydney Football Club, and Western Sydney Wanderers.
Hawkesbury resident Jacob Cross is the captain of the Western Sydney Wanderers team.
Cross, who scored two goals at the weekend, was born with cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair since he was six.
The rest of his teammates, as well as his opponents, also have conditions which confine them to wheelchairs.
Cross said there were six members in the Western Sydney Wanderers Powerchair Football Team.
‘‘It is similar to futsal but we’ve got our own adaptations for the power chairs. It is four a side, one goalie, and three out-fielders.’’ he said.
‘‘We play in powered wheelchairs. When the sport first started we used our day chairs with guards on the front.
‘‘But I’ve purchased a specific chair for the sport. It is a bit lower, a bit lighter and has bigger motors and allows us to get the most out of the game.’’
Cross said the sport had grown on him immensely since he first started playing it in 2010, after his dad helped get the league going.
‘‘I was a little bit of a fan of football when I first started playing, but since I’ve started playing I have become a huge fan of it,’’ he said.
‘‘It is great to be able to play sport and still be out and about and active.’’