The 2022 FA Disability Cup was a huge success, with plenty of action taking place across a bright and sunny weekend at St George’s Park.

The sixth edition of the tournament consisted of six impairment-specific cup finals, three on each day, and all broadcasted live on BT Sport.

The partially sighted, amputee and blind finals were up first on the Saturday 11 June, with the cerebral palsy, Powerchair and deaf finals occurring on Sunday 12 June. Each athlete was a credit to their sport and provided huge inspiration to those both attending live on the day and the many watching at home.

2022 Results

Saturday 11 June

PARTIALLY SIGHTED FINAL – Birmingham Futsal 5-1 Merseyside Futsal

A comprehensive and well-deserved victory for Birmingham Futsal helped them win the Partially Sighted final for the second year running and become the first champions of the weekend. Birmingham skipper Luke Darnell gave the Blues a two-goal cushion at half time with a fantastic finish before the game was well and truly sealed in the second half with three further strikes.

AMPUTEE FINAL – Manchester City Amputees 1-0 Portsmouth Amputees

A narrow victory for Manchester City Amputees on their first attempt in the FA Disability Cup will have meant a lot to the team, due to their League Cup loss in the last 30 seconds of extra time against the same opponents just weeks earlier. Liam Burbidge’s goal in the second half settled a tight affair for the Citizens, but it was the impressive individual performance of Mickey Chambers which caught the eye and rightly earned him the player of the match award.

BLIND FINAL – Royal National College (RNC) for the Blind Hereford 2-2 Brighton and Hove Albion Blind FC (RNC won 1-0 on penalties)

After three years away from the sport, England’s highest capped para and blind footballer, Darren Harris, proved to be the matchwinner via a penalty shootout in an end-to-end game to bring the trophy to RNC Hereford. Recognised before the contest with a golden cap for over 150 appearances for England and playing well into his 40s for his country, Harris, who scored both his side’s goals in normal time, was the only player to convert from the spot after 40 minutes ended all square.

Sunday 12 June

CEREBRAL PALSY FINAL – CP North West 4-4 North East and Yorkshire CP FC (North East and Yorkshire CP FC win 5-4 on penalties)

A pulsating first game to start the second day of the FA Disability Cup 2022 finished with a win for North East and Yorkshire CP, who retained their crown after sudden death penalties decided the outcome. They took control of the tie after a breakaway finish and a defensive mix-up, but CP North West hit back to level before half-time after a couple of quick-fire penalties were awarded – with the first missed by Jayden Kenyon (who later went on to complete a hat-trick) but the second converted - Kenyon doubling his tally to equalise for 2-2. Normal time ended after each team added two more goals apiece, but Ethan Day kept his cool from the spot to give North East and Yorkshire CP the trophy for the second successive year.

POWERCHAIR FINAL – Northern Thunder 1-1 West Bromwich Albion PFC (Northern Thunder won 2-1 on penalties)

Northern Thunder made it third time lucky as a penalty shootout secured them the cup for the very first time. Sam Smith opened the scoring just before half-time for Northern Thunder with a well-worked passing move, but Matt Gilbert hit back for West Brom in the second period. With extra-time unable to determine a winner, it came down to spot-kicks which ultimately resulted in happiness and plenty of relief for Northern Thunder, seeing as they had been in the final twice before and had lost on both occasions.

DEAF FINAL – Farsley Celtic Deaf FC 3-2 St. John’s Deaf FC

Another entertaining match-up concluded the weekend as Farsley Celtic scored a dramatic last-minute winner in the first ever deaf final to spark scenes of jubilant celebrations for those in green. Farsley Celtic went 2-0 up in the first half and were seemingly in the driving seat, but St John’s rallied after the interval and got themselves back on equal terms with two goals in the last 15 minutes. With the game heading towards extra-time, Kieran Carey, who had opened the scoring earlier on, poked home in injury-time to make a little bit of history after a superb turn and nutmeg to get himself clear.

2021 results

Saturday 17 July

POWERCHAIR FINAL – Aspire PFC 0-2 West Bromwich Albion PFC

After a tight goal-less draw after normal time, the game was decided on penalties, with Chris Gordon and Marcus Harrison sealing the title for the Baggies.

CEREBRAL PALSY FINAL - North East & Yorkshire 5-2 CP North West

Two goals apiece from Cameron Osburn and Jack Fox-Hockney along with a Josh Power own goal were enough to secure the title for North East & Yorkshire. Sam Dewhirst and Lewis Tupman netted the goals for CP North West.

PARTIALLY SIGHTED FINAL - Scorpion Futsal Club 1-3 Birmingham Futsal

First-half goals from Nik Acton and a brace from Harry MacDonald set Birmingham on their way to victory, with Scorpions pulling back a consolation goal from Bailey pack after the break.

Sunday 18 July

AMPUTEE FINAL - Peterborough United Amputees 0-0 Portsmouth Amputees (Peterborough win 6-5 on penalties)

BLIND FINAL - RNC Hereford 1-1 Merseyside Blind & VI FC (RNC Hereford win 2-1 on penalties)

A goal from Robin Williams put Merseyside ahead in the first half, only for Dan English to equalise soon after. The tie couldn't be settled in normal time though, leading to a shootout and the title heading to Hereford.

See highlights of the Finals below.

St. George’s Park played host to ten teams across five disciplines in a thrilling weekend of football.

Five hard-fought finals, which included Amputee, Blind, Cerebral Palsy, Partially Sighted and Powerchair football, were contested by some of the nation’s most successful grassroots teams who competed to be crowned national champions in their respective discipline.

The players competing across the weekend were cheered on by a jubilant crowd of friends and family who joined media outlets such as Sky Sports News and ITV in celebrating the importance of disability football and the impact it has on those that play.

In the Partially Sighted Final, North West Scorpions were quickly out of the traps and clocked up a five-goal lead by half time against Birmingham Futsal. They added another four after the break, but Birmingham also found their shooting boots and pulled four back themselves, with braces for John McDougal and Luke Darnel. For the Scorpions, Jack Pearce, Bailey Pack, Neil Atkinson (3) and Niall Dempsey (4) were the scorers. 

Another North West team were winners in the Cerebral Palsy Final, as CP North West FC ran out convincing 8-1 victors against North East Yorkshire Disability FC. Goals from Riley DeSouza (3), Ethan Stone and four for George Fletcher were enough, while Josh Percival netted a consolation goal for his side.

In the Powerchair Final, Aspire FC were inspired by Jon Bolding’s hat-trick and a further strike from Rosie Hodgson against Northern Thunder, who responded through Jack Maxwell.

On Sunday, Everton Amputees FC lifted the Cup following a 4-1 win over Portsmouth, thanks to goals from captain Steven Johnson, George Blackshaw and a double from David Tweed. Pompey’s response came from Terence Yates.

Sunday was also the Blind Cup Final, where Merseyside scored twice in the second half through Azeem Amir and Roy Turnham to beat West Bromwich Albion.

2019 Highlights

The FA Disability Cup returned to St George’s Park in a newly expanded format, with six cup finals and an exhibition of frame football take place over the weekend of 16-17 June.

First up was the Powerchair cup final where Aspire PFC were looking to retain their title for a record third successive season.

But it was West Bromwich Albion who were victorious, securing the title in their first appearance at St George’s Park thanks to a single goal from Luke Kelly.

Next up were Chelsea Blues, who were looking to go one better than the previous two years where they had finished runners up. In a close encounter it was North East & Yorkshire Disability FC who ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Charlie Needler and James Williams.

The final game of day one saw the debut of Partially Sighted football within The FA Disability Cup. North West Scorpions faced off against Birmingham Futsal and looked the brighter side in the first half, cheered on by a vociferous section of the crowd but ultimately it was the experienced Birmingham Futsal that won the day with a 4-1 victory. Goals came from Harry Gibbons (2), Luke Darnel and John MacDougal with Scorpions consolation coming from Bailey Pack.

Day two commenced with a repeat of the 2017 Amputee cup final which saw Peterborough United Amputee FC retaining their title with closely fought 3-2 victory again Everton Amputee FC thanks to goals from Harry Ash, Ben Houghton and Gary Marheineke. Everton’s goals came courtesy of Gordon Metcalfe and Stuart Sephton.

Next up was the deaf girls cup final which saw a comprehensive victory for reigning champions Derby County Community Trust against Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf.

West Bromwich Albion and RNC Leicestershire Foxes brought things to a close with a very tightly fought game which saw the teams separated by a single own goal which ensured RNC Leicestershire Foxes retained their Blind cup final title for another year.    

The FA Disability Cup Finals day returned to St. George's Park for a second successive year on 6 May 2017.

Five finals – powerchair, cerebral palsy, blind, deaf and amputee – were showcased at the national football centre with hundreds watching on.

First up was the Powerchair category, in which reigning champions Aspire PFC defended their title with a 2-1 win over Birmingham side Villa Rockets PFC, who featured 13-year-old Bradley Addison.

The Cerebral Palsy final swiftly followed with CP United Seniors running out 9-1 victors over Chelsea Whites to claim their second successive title.

Following this, arguably one of the most intense games of the day was the Blind Football Final. Merseyside Blind FC were narrowly beaten 2-3 by RNC Shrews in which hat-trick hero and England player Robin Williams helped lead his team to victory.

The penultimate match of the day profiled some of the younger participants with U16 Derby County Community Trust Girls Deaf side beating Braidwood School’s U16 Girls Deaf Team 6-4.

Peterborough United Amputee FC, the reigning National Amputee League champions, beat Everton Amputee FC 3-2 to conclude a fine day’s action.

St. George’s Park hosted the inaugural FA Disability Cup finals day on 7 May 2016 where the culmination of each partner’s cup competition took place with three cup finals being hosted back-to-back. 

The partner competitions were the Wheelchair FA National League, CP Sport National Cerebral Palsy National League and The National Blind Football League.

First up was the powerchair final, where Herefordshire-based Aspire beat Northumberland’s Northern Thunder through a single second-half goal from England captain Jonathan Bolding in an incredibly tight affair.

The cerebral palsy final saw the national league’s northern conference champions, CP United from Manchester, steamroll their way to the title with an impressive 9-0 victory over southern conference champions Chelsea.

The final game of the day – the blind final – saw Brandon Coleman open the scoring for RNC Shrews only for late drama to follow. Sporting Club Albion came from behind thanks to a Roy Turnham screamer with only seconds to go to force penalties, which Sporting Club Albion went on to win 2-1. 

England Deaf Football (EDF) was formally launched in June 2003 at Old Trafford the home of Manchester United Football Club. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength. Deaf Football is one of the largest Deaf sports in England.

Since its launch, EDF and the Deaf Football community have seen hundreds of Deaf matches being played across the country.

The winners of the semi-finals at the cup knockout will qualify to play at St. George’s Park as part of The FA Disability Cup Finals day.

For more league information, click here

The Partially Sighted Football League (PSFL) was formed over 30 years ago and has since built links with both British Blind Sport (BBS) and the FA to become the only league that caters for partially sighted adults.

The PSFL holds eight central venue fixture dates per season between the months of September and April, these consist or six league and two cups and are usually held at Futsal venues across the country. The league caters for both male and female individuals over the age of 16 and has one division comprising six teams.

The winners of league and the league cup will qualify to play at St. George’s Park as part of The FA Disability Cup Finals day.

For more on league information click here

The national competition structure is supported by six regional league competitions and a play-off process which sees teams promoted and relegated within the pyramid.

In 2011, the WFA Cup was launched. This is a competition that is open to all affiliated powerchair football clubs within England and operates on a home or away basis.
 
The first two rounds operate on a north and south divide, with Premiership teams receiving a bye into round two with the final taking place at St. George’s Park as part of the FA Disability Cup Finals weekend.