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Paralympic Football

7-a-side

UK Governing Body

- Cerebral Palsy Sport England and Wales


International Governing Body

- Cerebral Palsy International Sports

and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA)

Paralympic Football 7-a-side Overview

Paralympic Football is an adaptation of Association Football for athletes with disabilities. One of the most prominent types of Paralympic Football is Football 7-a-side for athletes with cerebral palsy.


International competition in Football 7-a-side started in 1978 at the CP-ISRA International Games in Edinburgh. The sport was first included in the summer Paralympic Games at the 1984 Games in New York and has been included in every games since. The game is played using modified FIFA rules where the field of play is smaller and teams are reduced to 7 players per side. The offside rule has been removed and one handed throw-ins are allowed. Matches are 60 minutes long with a 15 minute break.


Players are assigned to one of four sport classes based upon their level of disability. These classes are C5, C6, C7, C8:-

- C5: Athletes with difficulties when walking and running, but not in standing or when kicking the ball.

- C6: Athletes with control and co-ordination problems of their upper limbs, especially when running.

- C7: Athletes with hemiplegia.

- C8: Minimally disabled athletes; they must meet eligibility criteria and have an obvious impairment that has impact on the sport of football.