By Tom Scott
United Spinal and NYC Parks Unveil New Giants Wheelchair Football Field
United Spinal Executive Director Paul J. Tobin and Director of Sports and Recreation Bill Hannigan joined New York City Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and former New York Giants fullback Charles Way to dedicate the first wheelchair football field in New York State at Victory Field in Forest Park, Queens.
“Parks is proud to add an official wheelchair football field to our other accessible programs, which already include wheelchair basketball, ballroom dancing, aquatic therapy, and Playgrounds for All Children,” said Commissioner Benepe. “It is one of the Parks Department’s highest priorities to help all New Yorkers discover how New York City’s 29,000 acres of parkland can enrich their lives.”
Hannigan, who presented Commissioner Benepe with a United Spinal Giants shirt and hat during the ceremony, said he was grateful that United Spinal Association is working alongside the New York City Parks Department to provide wheelchair athletes with accessible practice and playing fields in the New York metropolitan area.
“Adaptive sports are an important part of our commitment to enabling people with spinal cord injuries and disorders to fulfill their potential as active members of their communities. The dedication of facilities such as the wheelchair football field at Victory Field, which gives people with disabilities a chance to participate in the sports they love, is a truly rewarding experience,” Hannigan added.
During the festivities, Way, who is currently the director of Player Development for the NFL Giants, strapped himself into a sports wheelchair and joined the United Spinal Giants team for a few practice downs. He also handed out official Giants NFL hats and took some time to talk to the players.
“As long as you have a field, you have the opportunity to succeed,” said Way. “Given the name of the field, Victory Field, it will now rank up there with Lambeau Field and Soldier Field. Today is a great day for football, just as Steve Sabol would say on NFL Films ‘on a windy autumn day,’ with that rough voice. You can’t help but to want to play football. So that’s what it’s about, giving everyone a chance to play theyou have a very same sport that I grew up loving. We all have dreams; we’re just looking for people to give us the opportunity to fulfill those dreams.” The United Spinal Sports and Recreation program will use Victory Field for practice and league games and plans to host a wheelchair football tournament there in the future. In a recent press release,
United Spinal Giants Coach John Hamre said he hopes the program grows and leads to the creation of wheelchair football fields all over the state of New York and other places and that Victory Field will be the model for other franchises. “It doesn’t take much. It really just takes hardtop, some paint and some commitment from volunteers to help out,” said Hamre.
For more information on participating or volunteering for the United Spinal Giants wheelchair football team, please contact Bill Hannigan at 718-803-3782, ext. 268.
Tom Scott is staff editor.
