Paralympic Football 5-a-side

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Paralympic 5-a-side football

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Paralympic 5-a-side football
Paralympic 5-a-side football
Paralympic 5-a-side football
Paralympic 5-a-side football
 

© London 2012

One of two Paralympic football tournaments, the 5-a-side competition takes place between Friday 31st August and Saturday 8th September.

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What is Paralympic football 5-a-side?

 

One of two Paralympic Football medal events, the 5-a-side event features eight teams (men only) and is played on a small 42m x 22m pitch surrounded by a rebound wall. The ball contains a noise-making device inside and all outfield players wear eye shades to ensure fairness. Goalkeepers may be fully or partially sighted, while the pitch is divided into thirds, with each team allowing one guide for each third to call out instructions (the goalkeeper acts as the guide in the defensive third). Games are two halves of 25 minutes broken up with a 10-minute break for half-time. With no throw-ins and no offside rule, it's a free-flowing, fast-paced game that starts with a round-robin format before the top two teams of both groups qualify for the semi-final, the winners then going on to play for gold.

 
 
 

Who won Paralympic 5-a-side football gold in Beijing in 2008?

 

Brazil won gold in Beijing in 2008, with a 2-1 win over hosts China in the final enough to seal their title. China had pipped them to first place during the group stage but a second half penalty from Marcos Felipe was enough to decide the match after the sides had gone into half-time at 1-1. Argentina claimed the bronze medal, with a 1-0 penalty shootout win over Spain after the sides had drawn 1-1 during normal time.

 
 
 

Do ParalympicsGB have a chance of winning any Equestrian medals?

 

The Beijing 2008 tournament ,where they finished 5th, was the first time Great Britain had played in the football 5-a-side and they qualified by virtue of their 2nd place finish at the 2007 European Championships. The team has since continued to go from strength to strength and they won silver at the 2009 European Championships in France before finishing 3rd at the same tournament in 2011. The team includes David Clarke, who was featured in Channel 4’s documentary Inside Incredible Athletes. Clarke is one of GB’s most capped players, having secured his 100th cap during the team's first match in Beijing, and he is joined in the squad by several young talented players including Keryn Seal and Dan English. Great Britain are in Pool A along with Spain, Argentina and Iran.

 
 
 

Where will the Paralympic 5-a-side football take place?

 

The Riverbank Hockey Arena will play host to both the football events at the Paralympics. Situated in the north of the Olympic Park, the Hockey Arena was used for the Olympic Hockey competition during the Games in July and August. To get to grips with where everything is taking place check out our Paralympics Map, or if you're looking for a nearby hotel, try the LondonTown.com hotel deals service.

 
 
 

When is the Paralympic 5-a-side football?

 

The 5-a-side football takes place on alternating days as it fits in with the 7-a-side schedule. There are games on Friday 31st August, Sunday 2nd September, Tuesday 4th, Thursday 6th and the gold and bronze medal matches will be played on Saturday 8th. See our Paralympics Day-by-Day Guide for the full schedule of events.

 
 
 
 

How do I get to the Paralympic 5-a-side football at the Riverbank Hockey Arena?

 

There are numerous options when travelling to the Olympic Park. Driving is not advised due to high levels of traffic and restricted parking - limited, pre-booked parking will be available for disabled spectators. There are various public transport options. Delivering passengers from St Pancras to Stratford International in just seven minutes, the Olympic Javelin high-speed train shuttle service will take up to an estimated 25,000 travellers per hour. National Rail, Docklands Light Railway and London Overground will run trains to Stratford, Stratford International and West Ham. There are two London Underground stations that service the Olympic Park - Stratford and West Ham.

 
 
 

How do I get tickets to the Paralympic 5-a-side football?

 

Tickets can be purchased from www.tickets.london2012.com. More than 2.1 million of the 2.5 million available tickets have already been sold - organisers are claiming this could be the first Paralympics to sell out in the 52 year history of the Games. Twitter users could start following @2012TicketAlert, an unofficial feed set up during the Olympics which runs a check on the official site every three minutes and tweets every time a ticket becomes available.

 
 
 

What are the disability divisions for Paralympic 5-a-side football?

 

All players are B1 level of visual impairment, although all outfield players wear eye shades to make sure they compete on equal terms. Goalkeepers can be fully-sighted or visually impaired.

 
 
 

When did 5-a-side football first appear at the Paralympics?

 

5-a-side football made its Paralympic debut in Athens in 2004, where the inaugural tournament was won by Brazil. They went to on reclaim their gold medal in Beijing in 2008 and will look to make ait a hat-trick of titles at London in 2012.

 
 
 

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