Exciting Paralympic sport comes to Hertfordshire

Wheelchair Rugby: Solent Sharks v University of Portsmouth

Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR), the London Wheelchair Rugby Club (LWRC) and the Herts Sports Partnership (HSP) are working together to bring wheelchair rugby to the county with a series of taster sessions on February 10 and 17.

An exciting fusion of ice hockey, handball and rugby, the game was originally founded in Canada in 1977.

Eight rolling substitutes make up squads of 12, with four players on court per team at any time, with the aim of driving the ball across the opponents’ goal line.

The emphasis of the sport is on fun, excitement and inclusion, particularly for players with higher levels of impairment.

The taster sessions, at Birchwood Leisure Centre in Hatfield, are open to both youth players, aged 12 and over, and adult players with a physical disability, but you don’t need to be a wheelchair user to take part.

If the sessions are successful, LWRC hopes to develop a satellite club in Hertfordshire.

Development officer Paul Arnold said: “It would be brilliant to have a wheelchair rugby team in Hertfordshire, with links to the sport’s oldest and most successful club.

“This is a real opportunity to introduce our exciting sport to the county and offer more disabled people the chance to play.”

For further details contact Paul Arnold on [email protected] or 07872 664927.