Wheelchair Football

The sport of wheelchair football is an adaptation of the traditional American sport of Football. This sport should not be confused with wheelchair soccer as football is the name for soccer in nearly all other countries of the world. In wheelchair football the rules are fairly similar to the traditional play method.

The rules of wheelchair football follow similar patterns to the traditional stand-up game of American football. However, several differences in play and scoring do occur. The first difference is of course that the game is played in wheelchairs. However, beyond this obvious fact the game utilizes touch football rules as opposed to full body tackles. Another important difference in the game will be determined by the functionality level of the players and the type of wheelchair being used.

A non-powered wheelchair player will need to be 'tackled' by putting hands on their body directly. In powered wheelchair games the player only has to have their wheelchair touched for a tackle to have occurred. When a touch down is made points are awarded. However, if a passing play is used after the touchdown to score an extra point the passing team gets two points for completion.

There are other rules for the game as well. Kickoffs are essentially throws and field goals are thrown as well. There are three different levels of player functionality in this sport. As such the requirements for catching a pass change at each level. A level one player will be fully functional above the waist. They must actually catch the ball. A level two player has to be hit by the ball on the hand or along the arm up to the elbow with visible ball deflection. This is due to the fact that these players have limited arm mobility. A level three player has to receive the ball as a strike to their body in the catching zone or even on the head. Level two and three players do not have to have the ball in hand to be considered as holding the ball. It is considered caught if they are hit appropriately. The player must then be tackled even if they don't have the ball.