The sport of 7-a-side Football is played by athletes with cerebral palsy.

Did you know?

• The sport is governed by the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) Throw-ins may be made with only one hand

Key facts

Venue: Hockey Centre
Dates: Saturday 1 September – Sunday 9 September
Gold medals up for grabs: 1
Athletes: 96

The sport is one of two forms of football on the Paralympic programme, and combines speed, agility and impressive ball skills.

How to play

Teams are made up of ambulant cerebral palsy athletes, and each side must maintain a line-up featuring players with varying levels of disability. The rules differ from those of Football in several respects: each team consists of seven players, the measurements of the playing field and goalposts are smaller, there’s no offside law and matches last 30 minutes per half.

For more information on the history of the sport, visit the IPC website.

7-a-side Football at the Games

7-a-side Football has been part of the Paralympic programme since the 1984 Games in New York.

Get involved

Football is an exciting sport to play as well as well as watch. You can get information on the grassroots development programmes run by the Football Associations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all of which organise opportunities for disabled players

It’s easy to get started – you can find a local club through the Disability Football Club Directory or contact your county football association for more details (see related websites).

Learn more about how to get involved on the Parasport website.