Describing the continued arrangement, Mr Sutherland said; "Invacare is honoured to continue to support Powerchair football and its ongoing development. We have enjoyed a long running collaboration with FIPFA and are very satisfied with the development of the sport. We are particularly encouraged to see the number of players, clubs and countries getting involved in this sport increasing as the years go by."

Speaking on behalf of FIPFA, President Hervé Delattre reinforced Mr Sutherland's view by saying that the Invacare partnership is a valued investment in sport for severely and multiple disabled athletes.  He went on to say, "Invacare's involvement helps the sport plan for the long term as well as enabling the partners to work together to add real value thanks to their shared skills and commitment."

Powerchair Football: the game and forthcoming event

Powerchair Football is a sport for people who use a power wheelchair in their everyday life. It is played by two competing teams with up to four players on each side.  This particular style of football is played on a basketball court with a ball of 33 cm (13 inches).  The players play in special power chairs that have a bumper to hit the ball as a well as other protection to avoid injury to players. The game follows the same rules as football.

Forthcoming FIPFA events are: 

April 29-May 5 2014: COPA America (USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile); June 6-9 2014: Promotional event in Alicante (Spain) - Foot Demonstration and training; July 15-20 2014: European Cup in Dublin (Ireland) - competition with 7 countries to qualify for the World Cup and October 21–1 November 2015: World cup in Brazil with 12 countries.