Staff of the Collingwood Football Club try their hand at Wheelchair AFL ahead of Robert Rose Cup Round against the Western Bulldogs on Friday 7th July.
Last Thursday, our Collingwood Wheelchair Team Captain Ben Jankovski and new recruit Anthony Perito hosted a Wheelchair AFL Come and Try Session for Collingwood staff.
The session was created to further educate staff on the realities of playing sport in a wheelchair whilst also providing a fun opportunity to connect and gain knowledge about the team itself.
Head of Community at the Club, Liz Dunne had this to say about the experience:
“The session aimed to expose our staff to a different form of football. Internal activities like this help staff to learn through practical experience which instills a greater appreciation for the unique skill set of our wheelchair athletes. Teaching also allows our VWFL athletes to further develop as leaders within the sport.”
The Collingwood Wheelchair Team is the Club's sixth official team and plays in the Robert Rose Foundation Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL).
The VWFL is designed to provide sporting opportunities for Victorians with a physical disability and is supported by the Robert Rose Foundation which was named in honour of former Magpie, Robert Rose.
The son of Collingwood icon Bob Rose, Robert became a quadriplegic following a car accident in 1974.
Head of Commercial Partnerships, Rachel Powell commenting on her experience and the skill involved in playing wheelchair football said:
"I really enjoyed the experience. Ben took us through our paces and learning all the skills and tricks common to VWFL was eye-opening to say the least. It's super challenging trying to control the chair, catch and then handball effectively which just highlights how talented our wheelchair athletes really are."
The Collingwood Football Club is dedicated to providing internal educational opportunities such as these across the year and look forward to the upcoming VWFL finals series next month.
Thank you to community partner Coles for for their continued support of the Collingwood Wheelchair Football team.
Learn more about our wheelchair team here: https://magpi.es/askmeanythingvwfl
