We are St George's Knights, Staffordshire's only Powerchair Football Club, a small volunteer run club providing children, young people and adults who are often excluded from sports opportunities to play, compete and be part of a team. We are taking part in the cash for kids sports challenge to keep our club moving and continue giving our players opportunities to play the sport they love.
Powerchair Football is a modified version of the beautiful game played in very specialist powered wheelchairs and for many of our players is the only sport available to them at their level of physical disability. Players use their chairs to control the ball, pass, tackle and score. They train together, compete together, celebrate together and most importantly become part of a team. For them it is about so much more than what happens on the pitch being a part of the Knights gives our players the chance to be footballers rather than spectators. It gives them somewhere to belong, people who cheer them on and teammates who understand what it means to compete in a sport that has been designed around them. This builds confidence, independence and teamwork creating friendships and reducing isolation. It gives players the opportunity to challenge themselves, develop new skills and experience the excitement, frustration, determination and joy that comes with being part of a team and sometimes, it's simply about having fun.
There is nothing quite like seeing a player score their first goal, make a great pass, learn something new or celebrate with their teammates. Those moments are what make everything we do worthwhile.
Why do we need your help?
Put simply keeping a powerchair football club running isn't cheap.
It's not as simple as putting on a pair of boots and playing, the chairs our players use are very specialist pieces of sporting equipment. These chairs are bespoke to each individual player and require storing and charging every week aswell as regular servicing and maintenance to keep them safe and reliable and parts such as tyres and batteries need replacing regularly. We also need specialist safety equipment and, where possible upgrades and adaptations that help our players get the most from their chairs.
Then there is the challenge of getting everyone where they need to be. Our club transport is essential for getting players and equipment to training sessions, matches and competitions. Keeping that transport on the road means paying for servicing, maintenance and fuel because without reliable transport our players and their equipment can't get to the football.
And, of course, there are the everyday costs of running a football club: our venue, league and affiliation fees, match costs and all the other expenses that come with giving our players regular opportunities to train and compete.
What will your donation mean?
When you donate to St George's Knights, you're not simply helping us pay a bill or replace a piece of equipment.
You're helping a player get onto the pitch, a team get to a match, you're keeping a powerchair moving and helping provide a safe space where players can compete, make friends and feel that they belong. All of this creates opportunities that otherwise simply wouldn't be available
All the money we raise through the Sports Challenge will stay with our club and help us continue providing powerchair football to our players. And if we reach our £2,000 fundraising target, we'll also qualify for the additional £500 Cash for Kids bonus.
So whether you can donate £5, £10, £20 or whatever you can afford, your support will help us keep the Knights moving.
And if you can't donate please share our fundraising page. You never know who might see it, share it again and help us reach someone who can make a difference.
Join the force behind the Knights today!