The sport of wheelchair football was developed by Professor Tim Nugent in 1948. The sport of wheelchair football was developed for interscholastic competition (grades 1-12) by the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP) of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in 2005 to incorporate both the manual and power wheelchairs during game play. This was the first development and dissemination of training manuals/videos, and interscholastic policies and procedures for the sport and the first "league." Wheelchair football is patterned after American football, and is thus different from Powerchair Football or Wheelchair soccer (both adaptations of association football).
A competitive wheelchair football league for adults, the USA Wheelchair Football League, was launched by Move United in 2020. and is open to adults with qualifying disabilities who play in a manual sport wheelchair.
American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP)
Interscholastic Rules
The game of wheelchair football is played on a standard basketball court — 28 metres (92 ft) long by 15 metres (49 ft) wide. The required court markings are a center line and circle, and a key area measuring 8 metres (26 ft 3 in) wide by 1.75 metres (5 ft 9 in) deep at each end of the court. It can be played either indoors or outside, as long as it meets the standard requirements.[1] All athletes must use either a manual or a power wheelchair when competing in the sport.
Specified rules for manual and power wheelchair users
Players Using Manual Wheelchairs
Players Using Powerchair Wheelchairs
Players in manual chairs have successfully tackled an opponent when they tag the opponent with two hands on the body and above the knees.
Players in power chairs will have made a successful tackle when they tag the opponent with one hand on the opponent's body or chair.
AAASP does not use a traditional disability sport classification system in any of its adaptEDsports in forming "legal" teams. It instead evaluates the overall functional ability and skill level of all players combined and assigns the team to either the varsity of junior varsity division of its league. This less-restrictive approach for forming legal teams has made the creation of local school-based teams and statewide league competition possible. In example, in 2024, AAASP had 14 interscholastic wheelchair football teams in Georgia.
USA Wheelchair Football
Classification
Wheelchair football players are classified into three different levels, and the rules of play are slightly different for each level.
Level 1 players: have full use of their arms, hands and eyes.
Level 2 players: have limited arm and/or hand movement and may have some type of visual impairment.
Level 3 players: have no arm-movement capability and/or have limited sight.[2]
The rules for Level 1 players are somewhat similar to "touch football," where players touch rather than tackle their opponents. In that adapted game, the player - and not his or her chair - must be touched to count as a tackle. Players who have limited or no mobility in their arms use chair-to-chair contact for blocks and tackles.[2]
Scoring
Level 1 players, kick offs, punts, runs, and goals are all scored using the hands. Level 2 and 3 players, points for pass completion are awarded if the ball hits the player in the area between the hands and their elbows.
Although the players cannot grab the football, they still need to maneuver their wheelchairs so they can be in the right position for the ball to hit the right place to score.
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Team rules
A team has six attempts to score once they receive the ball. Teams may pass or “run” the ball into the end zone. Field goals, kick–offs and punts are thrown. A running game clock (no time–outs for incomplete passes, etc.) is used, as well as a play clock. Scoring is the same as in stand–up football, with one exception.
A team that passes for the point–after–touchdown (PAT) will receive two points. Field goals are scored when the ball is thrown through the first two vertical uprights that support the hanging basket.
The USA Wheelchair Football League plays on a field that is 60-yards long and 22-yards wide with an additional 8 yards at each end for end zones. The field can be indoor or outdoor, and shall be marked with lines every 15 yards crossing the length of the field, and a mark at the 3 yard line.
The game is played in four quarters of 15 minutes each with a running game clock and a 45-second play clock.
Tackling in the USA Wheelchair Football League is completed by placing one-hand above the waist of the ball carrier.
Player Qualification
Players must be 18+ by August 1 of the season, and have a permanent physical disability which consistently reduces the function of the lower limbs to a degree where they cannot run, pivot, block or tackle, at the speed and with the control, safety, stability and endurance required to play running football as an able bodied player.
Players are classified via a functional classification system, and will receive a classification point ranging from 1–4.5. A team consists of seven players on the field. A team may not have more than 21 classification points at the field at one time.
Scoring
Scoring in the USA Wheelchair Football League is available via the following methods:
Touchdown: 6 points
Point After Touchdown: 1 point (passing play), 2 points (running play)
Safety: 2 points
Note, a field goal is NOT a scoring option in the USA Wheelchair Football League
Required Equipment
Manual Sport Wheelchair
Football (Official NFL-size)
Helmet (Approved by NFL/NFLPA)
Coaches/Officials
Move United has a formal coaches and officials program which covers Rules, Concussion and Safety Protocol, Setting up Practice Plans and Officials Roles and Signals.[4]
