MEET THE TEAM

Meet the WAPFA Team

Jason Lewis

Hi my name is Jason Lewis and I am currently the President of the Western Australian Powerchair Football Association. This all came about in 2012 when I was approached by Conor Murphy after hearing about my interest in wanting to play a sport for people who use electric wheelchairs, having played Australian rules from the age of 6, until I suffered a spinal injury at the age of 28 resulting in me becoming a quadriplegic and requiring me to use an electric wheelchair, after a long rehabilitation having to come to terms with and learning to live my life with a disability.

Even after my terrible and tragic accident I found that I still had a very strong passion for sport and in 2007 I started to coach Australian rules and I did this for 5 years but found myself still wanting more; to play sport myself. This is when Conor came into the picture and gave me the opportunity to finally be able to play and that sport was Powerchair Football.

It was a whirlwind start to my career playing Powerchair Football, I started playing in July 2012 and headed off to the Nationals in October the same year, it was Conor Murphy, Kyle Scolari and I who attended from WA and shortly after our return we decided we needed to form a committee and organisation to help this sport grow within WA. In 2014 we became a registered sporting organisation “Western Australian Powerchair Football Association Inc” (WAPFA). I must say it was a very proud moment for me to be able to be a part of this process, especially with the passing of two of our founding members in Conor Murphy and Kyle Scolari and I will be forever grateful to these two men for introducing me to Powerchair Football and a whole new circle of friends.

The best thing I like about playing Powerchair Football is the competitiveness of it all, many people would think that we are unable to be competitive athletes and I can tell you that this is not the case. In fact it is very much the opposite as I have played Australian Rules with able-bodied athletes who do not have half the passion, ambition or drive. Being able to play Powerchair Football gives me the rush of blood and adrenaline just as much if not more as playing Australian Rules, my skills may not be the best but that does not interfere with my determination or spirit to play my best and not let my team mates down.

Cindy Evans

Hi – I am the current Vice President of Powerchair Football here in WA. I was born to farmers in Kangaroo Gully on Australia Day so there is no wonder why sport and physical wellbeing have been the driving forces of my life. So much so that I did a bachelor and a Masters degree at UWA, and half of a PhD on wheelchair rugby in New Zealand. In my twenties and thirties I travelled extensively around the world, experiencing living in different cultures. It was in NZ that I got sucked into Paralympic classification. At the time I was seeking professional development – anything that would get me to understand more about training the bodies of the people with complex needs that were coming to my exercise and social empowerment groups. I started with swimming, went to boccia as a way of starting that sport in NZ, moved to wheelchair rugby (where I assisted in writing the functional classification system for the sport) and was honoured to go to the Sydney Paralympics as an NZ wheelchair basketball classifier.

What I found in the world of sport was a platform that treated people with disabilities as elite, healthy (compared to their own standards) athletes. So refreshing from how people with complex needs were being treated in the “normal” world, where the disability – no matter what it is – tends to be seen first and the person treated like they have an illness. In sport people are seen for their strengths, and the joy that comes from that is phenomenal. Three years ago Jason Lewis knocked on my door and talked me into volunteering to assist him to set up Powerchair Football as a stand alone sport. What a sport! Dynamic, exciting to watch, exciting to play, and powerful as a team builder. At the moment our sport is small, but it will not stay that way. Once people find it they never let it go.

Any able bods out there with soccer knowledge and a love of community interested in umpiring or generally helping us to boost the sport here in WA – contact WAPFA. We would love to hear from you.

Justin Lattaway

Hi, my name's Justin Lattaway and I've been coach of the WA State and Perth Glory Powerchair Football teams since May 2018. I have also coached the Western Wasps, the other electric wheelchair sports team here in WA, for the 2017 and 2018 National Electric Wheelchair Sports (NEWS) competitions.

Sport has been my main passion and love for as long as I can remember. I played both soccer and cricket at state level in NZ growing up, and am pretty good at golf and tennis as well. I naturally graduated university with a Bachelor's in Sport Science and developed plenty of skills and knowledge to start me off on my coaching journey.

I was introduced to electric wheelchair sports through my friend Aiden Jones, whom I also have the privilege of being a support worker for. I bought my own Strikeforce wheelchair at the beginning of 2019 to help increase our local playing numbers and increase the level of competition here in Perth/WA. This first hand experience has helped me immensely in gaining a greater understanding of how to coach the sport of PCF.

My main goal is to help Powerchair Football continue to grow here in WA and to assist the players in reaching their full potential, both on and off the court.

Rebecca Evans

Hi! I'm Rebecca Evans and I'm the newest team member to join Powerchair Football. I'm currently studying Psychology at Curtin, and am also involved with the Youth Disability Advocacy Network. My hobbies include reading, tennis, monster trucks, and (of course!) electric wheelchair sports!

I only started playing electric wheelchair sports mid 2016 (just over a year ago). This season is my first playing Powerchair Football. I got involved after meeting some current players through one of MDWA's social event. At first I put it off as something that I wouldn't be interested in. How could someone who dislikes most sports be interested in playing sport? But I went down and tried it out anyway and boy I was wrong! It is so much more fun playing sport than watching it!

I love playing Powerchair Football because it's given me an outlet for my competitive streak. I love being competitive and here was an avenue to do that! I also love the great friendships I've made out of it. We have such an awesome time both on and off the court.

My short-term goal is to be part of the WA team to go to the Nationals or Club Championships and maybe even help WA win! My long-term goal is to make it to an international Powerchair Football event someday. Although I'm sure that's a goal of most players!

If you are a electric wheelchair user and, even if you don't think it's for you, I'd strongly recommend you come down and try it out! I'm so glad I did!

Dylan Needham

Hi, I'm Dylan "Chippy" Needham, Secretary of WAPFA. I'm everything you would expect in a sports lover. Not one day goes by where sport isn't my life and blood. I've been playing electric wheelchair sports since 2005 having represented WA 10 times at National Electric Wheelchair Sports (NEWS).

Powerchair Football has been something I've played since its introduction to Australia in 2011. With the passing of WA Powerchair Football founders Conor Murphy and Kyle Scolari, big shoes needed filling. In 2015 I was approached by the President Jason Lewis whether I wanted to be a part of WAPFA. I said yes, taking up the VP position. Here we are years later having made great strides to continue in their legacy. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to play for the Melbourne City Powerchair Football Team in my new "Strikeforce" wheelchair at the club championship in Sydney.

The best thing I like about Powerchair Football is that it's open to all electric wheelchair users of all disabilities and that there are opportunities to succeed at local through to international levels. Also the likeness to the world game is a great incentive to succeed. Through my wheelchair sports I've made friends with so many people who go through the same things as me. We can relate and that's what makes your bond so much stronger.

My goals are to help WAPFA continue to grow and to represent WA, Perth Glory and Australia, so lots of work to go.

Outside of wheelchair sports I'm an avid Fremantle Dockers, Perth Glory and Perth Scorchers fan regularly attending their games. I enjoy anything to do with the outdoors, exploring new places, being a foodie and a gamer, going to concerts and the casino. I'm trying to be more of an advocate for people with disabilities and want to help people in whatever way I can.

Juddy Newman

Hi, My name is Justin Newman and I have been playing Powerchair Football for the past couple of years. It was my OT that told me about it and suggested I go down and have a look. I did not just look that first time, I had a go and have been playing ever since. It is a team sport that challenges my skills, I really like it. This year I was lucky enough to get funding for my own Strikeforce Powerchair from the USA. It is amazing how much fun it is to play in my new sport specific electric chair.

Powerchair football has introduced me to a great new group of people. We don't just play on the day, but also get together outside of the court. I am hoping to be part of the WA team in January who travel to Sydney to play in the National Club Championships. It has been great learning how to play in the team, and I look forward to more of it.

Jakob Ratnayeke

Hi I’m Jakob Ratnayeke, and sports is a big passion of mine; from ice hockey, to footy, to cricket, to football (soccer), I love most sports under the sun, well maybe not golf. I am an 11 year member of the Fremantle Dockers, as well as a Perth Scorchers, and Perth Glory member.

For me sports is not simply a form of entertainment, but a community platform. When I go to Freo Dockers, Perth Scorchers, or Perth Glory games, there is very much a sense of unity. People come to together at these events for one reason, and that is to support their team. At a grass-roots level, individuals form friendships through participation at clubs. I can say from my own experience that I have gained many comrades from my involvement Power Football.

I have been involved in Power Football since its inception in WA in 2010. Since ’05 I had been involved in Electric Wheelchair Sports; modified versions of soccer (balloon soccer), hockey, and rugby league. When Conor Murphy and Hayden Stevens got the ball rolling with Power Football it was only natural that I got involved. When we got started originally we had kits donated from Armadale Soccer Club, Western Knights Soccer Club, and Cockburn City Soccer Club. I remember there was a great sense of enthusiasm at the time, as people were excited to get involved in a newly available sport.

For anyone interested I would highly recommend that you give Power Football a go, especially if you’re a big football fan like myself. The sport is a great vehicle for people of various physical disabilities who use electric wheelchairs to get involved in the beautiful game, and if good enough, even play for your country on the world stage. Just recently in fact the Poweroos competed at the FIPFA World Cup against countries such as France, and the USA.