Town of Brookhaven and United Spinal to Inaugurate First Wheelchair Football Field in Long Island, NY
Jackson Heights, NY–– On June 27, 2007 at 11 am, Brookhaven, NY will make history when it inaugurates the first wheelchair football field in Long Island, NY. The Town of Brookhaven, Supervisor Brian X. Foley, retired NY Jets player Marty Lyons, and the United Spinal Association will participate in the field’s ribbon cutting ceremony at Avalon Park Coram.
“This wheelchair football field will help expand the Brookhaven adaptive sports program so more people with disabilities can enjoy themselves and healthy recreational sports competition,” said Jason Soricelli, head of Brookhaven’s adaptive sports and recreation program and United Spinal member. “There are some really great wheelchair athletes out there and I want them to get the same opportunities as non-disabled athletes.”
Wheelchair football was invented in the early 1970s. Its rules are adapted from the rules of 6-on-6 flag football, and it is played on asphalt, which is easier to maneuver in a wheelchair.
To find out more about Brookhaven’s wheelchair football field and adaptive sports in Long Island, please contact Jason Soricelli at 631-451-6992 or jsoricelli@aol.com. To find out more about United Spinal’s wheelchair football teams and other adaptive sports, please contact Bill Hannigan at 800-404-2898, ext. 268 or bhannigan@unitedspinal.org.
United Spinal Association is a national advocacy and disability rights organization dedicated to providing expertise, creating access to resources and strengthening hope, thereby enabling people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) to fulfill their potential as active members of their communities. Guided by the belief that the benefits of athletic competition are no different for athletes with disabilities than for athletes without disabilities, United Spinal sponsors a wide variety of wheelchair recreational and adaptive sports programs. Membership in United Spinal is free and open to all individuals with spinal cord disabilities. For more information, please visit www.unitedspinal.org or call 800-404-2898.