It's no secret that Wollongong is home to some of the nation's most elite wheelchair basketball talent. Now, plans are in place for a wheelchair Australian rules football league to make its mark in the region.
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A new AFL Wheelchair competition will launch in the Illawarra on Friday, with a come and try session to be held at the Shellharbour Sports Stadium. Run by AFL NSW/ACT, the event is open for men and women of all ages and abilities.
AFL Wheelchair being one of the fast growing sports in Australia. Based on AFL rules, it is a modified version of the game that allows people with and without a disability to play together.
The sport is played on a basketball court, with teams receiving six points for a goal and one point for a behind. One of the biggest changes is that a handball is the equivalent to a kick and an underarm throw is the equivalent to a handball.
The competition is being set up in the Illawarra in a bid to scout talent for the NSW/ACT's representative side, the Rolling Rams, to play at this year's AFL Wheelchair National Championships.
"AFL Wheelchair started because we identified an opportunity for growth in the inclusion and disability space because it's something that we as an organisation are extremely passionate about," NSW/ACT participation and programs regional project manager Simon Smyth said.
"We'd been doing a lot of work over the years with trying to grow participation within the intellectual disability space, and now we're looking at AFL Wheelchair as an opportunity to grow participation in another space within that inclusion of disability market."
Wollongong was identified as four ideal hubs to launch the new competition, alongside Albury, Canberra and Newcastle.
"The Illawarra was suggested to us by Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT because, in their words, it's the wheelchair basketball stronghold of regional NSW," Smyth said with a laugh.
"We thought we'd delve into that market and look to get more people involved, or try to attract some of those talented basketballers into AFL to participate in our state team."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
