Power soccer is a competitive sport for disabled individuals who use power wheelchairs to attack, defend and spin-kick an oversized soccer ball in attempt to score goals. Power Soccer is designed and developed specifically for power wheelchair users. These participants include people with quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, head trauma, stroke, spinal cord injury, and other disabilities.
Power Soccer was first played in France in the 1970s. It then spread around Europe (Belgium, Portugal, Denmark and England) before a group of Vancouver athletes began playing a variation of the game in Canada in 1982. The game then moved down the west coast to Berkeley and San Jose California in 1988 and across the Pacific to Japan. In 2005, representatives of the 9 nations met in Coimbra, Portugal and, in 2006, in Atlanta, US to form the Federation Internationale de Powerchair Football Associations (FIPFA). Also, in 2006 the United States Power Association (USPSA) was formed and in now the governing organization for Power Soccer throughout the United States. Today there are ~60 teams and growing throughout the United States and 250 teams competing worldwide.
The San Jose Steamrollers was one of the original Power Soccer teams in the United States. Founded in 1988. Steamrollers have had over 50 athletes and coaches as members of the team throughout the years. Originally the Steamrollers had a Division 1 (advanced) and Division II (beginners) team. In 2010 the Division II team formed its own identity, now known as the San Jose Rockets. Though the Rockets no longer exist, another team in 2015 was formed called the San Jose Flash and is today one of the top teams in the country.
The San Jose Steamrollers and San Jose Flash promote and encourage disabled individuals to play in a completive sport. The Steamrollers and Flash long term goals are to win a National Championship Cup, but more important to create and foster an environment for disabled individuals to compete and develop as athletes in this amazing sport.
Go Steamrollers!
Go Hard, Go Fast, Go Flash!