Inclusive. Competitive. Empowering.
THE NATIONAL CEREBRAL PALSY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
A national league providing adults with cerebral palsy a platform to play, compete, and thrive through the power of football.
Cerebral Palsy Football
WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY (CP) FOOTBALL?
It is played by individuals who have cerebral palsy or another neurological disorder that has resulted in physical impairment. This includes a stroke or traumatic brain injury. It is seven- a-side football.
CP players can also play mainstream, pan-disability, and CP-specific football. This may be on a casual basis, at club level and national league level too. There is a pathway for opportunities into international CP football too.
achievements
TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY (CP)
Classification
WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY (CP) CLASSIFICATION IN FOOTBALL?
In football, players are classified based on how much their impairment impacts them. This is done to ensure fairness between both teams. There are 3 classes: FT1, FT2, and FT3. Each team (seven players) has to have one FT1 player on the field at all times and is not allowed to have more than one FT3 players on the field. There can be 14 players listed on the team list.
CEREBRAL PALSY (CP) FOOTBALL RULES
The laws of the game are based on FIFA 11-a-side laws with several key adaptions to support people with a physical impairment.
- Maximum pitch size of 75m x 55m pitch
- 7v7 (maximum squad size of 14)
- Two halves of 30 minutes
- 5m x 2m goalposts
- No offside
- Throw-in and roll-ins are allowed – roll-ins help players with hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body)
Benefits
BENEFITS OF PLAYING CEREBRAL PALSY (CP) FOOTBALL
Football is one of the most popular games and has the power to bring people together and break down barriers. It can take many different forms such as, walking football, frame football and powerchair football.
It is vital for a person with cerebral palsy to be active therefore, football can:
- Be a regular activity which ultimately improves their health and well being
- Be an avenue to meet and socialise with other people with similar abilities
- Help learn new skills and promote teamwork
- Introduce future opportunities to compete at a higher level
