It’s late morning on a Tuesday and two teams are intently pursuing a large weather balloon across an indoor court at Knox Regional Netball Centre.
The players are participating in Scope’s Balloon Football League (BFL), a version of AFL modified to suit the needs of people with multiple and complex disability.
Player Megan Kinsella says it’s important for everyone to be able to play sport.
“I love to mix with other people and make new friends,” she says. “I also love to get out in the community. Balloon Football should be accessible to all people regardless of whether they are in a wheelchair or not. I am so happy I got the chance to participate.”
Scope’s Community Inclusion Officer Lara Lyon says she’d like to open up the games to include more members of the community living with disability, not just Scope clients.
“The game was started in 1995, created by five men with cerebral palsy because they wanted a version of AFL that they could play with friends,” she says.
“BFL is played using wheelchairs and a giant balloon on an indoor basketball or netball court. We play in teams of five and are always looking for new players and volunteers. We have a lot of players with different levels of mobility; having wheelchairs available for those that don’t have their own makes it more accessible.”
Students from St Joseph’s College at Ferntree Gully help navigate some of the wheelchairs, umpire and keep score.
“The person pushing isn’t allowed to touch the balloon; the focus is the player,” Lara says. “The game really highlights that people with disability can be as competitive and sports mad as those without, there’s a real skill to the game and its popularity shows that we need more accessible sport.
“I love their smiles, they look forward to coming. They want to get goals or stop goals. Sometimes you get to see players extend themselves physically, kick a little further or punch a little higher than they would normally have range to do, and that’s exciting to see.”
Matches have been made possible by the $15.6 million expansion of the centre, which doubled the number of indoor courts to four, providing greater opportunities for increased participation.
“It’s so great to have this new centre, it’s so accessible,” Lara says. “The staff here have been incredibly generous.
“We’ve been so lacking in options that it’s been really great to have something for people with disability, especially with multiple and complex disability. That’s what gets missed a lot – when people talk about all abilities, not all programs cater for the level of one-on-one support some of the players require, whereas this literally can be for anybody. Everyone is on an even playing field.”
Knox Regional Netball Centre is at 9 Dempster Street, Ferntree Gully. Scope will hold come and try events in March and the season starts in April. Find out more at scopeaus.org.au
