Inaugural Giants vs. Jets Wheelchair Football Battle in Brookhaven on Saturday
Jackson Heights, NY–– The United Spinal Association-sponsored New York Giants and New York Jets will do battle in the rough and tumble game of wheelchair football at Diamond in the Pines in Brookhaven on Saturday, November 17th from 11 AM to
2 PM.
Other sponsors of this first-ever wheelchair football contest in the New York metropolitan area are the Town of Brookhaven, St. Charles Hospital, and Chili’s.
Wheelchair football rules are adapted from flag football. There are six players on each team, and the asphalt “field”—easier to maneuver for wheelchair users—is 80 yards long and 22 yards wide, with first down marker lines every 15 yards. A team has five downs to move forward 15 yards for a first down.
The time of the football game is 40 minutes, with two 20 minute long halves separated by a five minute halftime. A one hand touch above the waist, including the arm and hand, constitutes a tackle. A touchdown scores six points, and extra points can be scored in two ways, two points for running the ball or one point for passing the pigskin successfully three yards into the end zone. All National Football League penalty rules apply to wheelchair football.
Members of the public are invited to come out and watch this exciting new wheelchair sport. To travel to Diamond in the Pines, take the Long Island Expressway to exit 63 – Route 83. Travel on Route 83 North for about three miles, then make a left turn on to Route 112. Diamond in the Pines will be 1/8 mile on the right side of Route 112.