Women of power soccer: exploring disability and gender in the first competitive team sport for powerchair users

Abstract

Power soccer is a sport in which teams of four compete against each other in an effort to drive a 13-inch soccer ball through goals using motorized wheelchairs. The athletes typically have upper and lower extremity impairment and the sport is played co-ed. Because chairs are motorized, traditional physiological gender differences in sport have been removed. Still, the sport is over 80% male. This study explored the experiences of female power soccer players in light of three distinct positions they hold: as athletes with disabilities in a predominantly non-disabled world; as athletes with more impactful physiological impairments within the disability sport community; and as women in a co-ed male-dominated sport. Results indicate experiences of ableism and minimally impactful but present sexism. Finally, participants note how they engage with social dynamics related to their disabilities and gender.