Disability Football 7-a-side
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2009/02/20 - Updated: 2020/05/22
Topic: Disability Football Information - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Disability Football 7-a-side is an adaption of association football for athletes with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders. 7-a-side Football was added to the Summer Paralympic Games at the 1984 Summer Paralympics in New York, and has been played at every Summer Games since.
Introduction
Football 7-a-side is an adaption of association football for athletes with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, including stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Main Item
The sport is governed by the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA). The sport is played with modified FIFA rules.
The most well known organizations of seven-a-side football are International Football Association 7, IFA7 and the Federation International of Football 7, FIF7.
Among the modifications are a reduced field of play, a reduction in the number of players, elimination of the offside rule, and permission for one-handed throw-ins.
Matches consist of two thirty-minute halves, with a fifteen-minute half-time break.
Players competing in Football 7-a-side are given a sport class based on their level of disability. Eligible classes are:
- C5 - Athletes with difficulties when walking and running, but not in standing or when kicking the ball.
- C6 - Athletes with control and co-ordination problems of their upper limbs, especially when running.
- C7 - Athletes with hemiplegia.
- C8 - Minimally disabled athletes; they must meet eligibility criteria and have an obvious impairment that has impact on the sport of football.
Teams:
- Teams must field at least one class C5 or C6 player at all times.
- No more than two players of class C8 are permitted to play at the same time.
International competition in Football 7-a-side began at the 1978 CP-ISRA International Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The sport was added to the Summer Paralympic Games at the 1984 Summer Paralympics in New York, U.S., and has been played at every Summer Games since.
American comedian Josh Blue was member of the US team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, and the 2007 ParaPanAmerican Games.
Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.