The FA’s England Para Football Teams have experienced increasing success in recent years with podium placed finishes in the Power Chair European Championships (Gold), the Partially Sighted World Championships (Silver) and the Blind European Championships (Bronze) in 2019 alone. The Cerebral Palsy Squad and the Deaf Men’s and Women’s Squads have also continued to improve on their European and World rankings whilst also competing in medal matches

A proportion of this success is attributed to the work of mainstream football leagues in being proactive in identifying and referring players who may be eligible for participation in an England Team. The point of this update is to engage more Leagues to do the same and work with The FA’s Para Football Performance Unit to find out more about Para Football and implement ‘easy to implement’ strategies of finding the next England player.

Many Leagues have already begun this journey and have found players by:
• Educating league and club officials on Para Football by inviting a member of The FA Team to present on the topic at relevant forums.
• Reviewing league and player registration processes to encourage ‘disclosure of impairment’ and consent for The FA to make contact.
• Encouraging clubs, coaches and referees to get in touch if they know about a player with a disability playing and striving in a mainstream environment.
• Utilising key messages about Para Football and the identification of players in their respective social media campaigns.
• Arranging for an FA Para Football Role Model to speak at league conferences to share stories of life impacting involvement in the Para Football Performance Pathway and of playing for England.