At 15, Akshay is a typical teenager. A tenth grader at Johns Creek School in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, he is an avid soccer player too.
In June this year, Akshay was part of the Atlanta Sting Academy, the founder-level team of Atlanta Sting, which went on to win the third place in the 2023 MK Battery Conference Cup Series organised by the United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA) in Indiana..
What makes each of his wins special is the fact that Akshay is afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscular degenerative disorder with no cure, which made him wheel chair-bound since the age of seven.
And Power Soccer, the first competitive team sport designed and developed specifically for people of all ages and genders who use a power wheelchair, allows him to forget his limitations and play soccer with all gusto.
He has been a different person ever since he started playing Power Soccer, for the game, the intense physical activity and the camaraderie of team sports have helped him overcome the isolation of being confined to a wheelchair.
“This is what we wanted for him. In this world where only perfection gets celebrated, we are so glad that he found his happy space,” says Renjith, Akshay’s father, recollecting those emotional moments when his son scored a goal for his team.
Both IT professionals, Renjith and his wife, Seeja, relocated their life and career to the U.S. in 2014, with the sole hope that their son might get better treatment or get an opportunity to be part of one of the clinical trials related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“The clinical trials participation did not work out but we decided to stick on because society here is inclusive and the facilities a child like Akshay would get here — his school offered to send a special bus and a helper for him — was something we could not imagine in our home town. We settled down in Atlanta, Georgia State in 2018,” says Renjith.
There is no known cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Treatment aims to control symptoms to improve quality of life.
In order to delay the progression of the disease and slow down the loss of muscle strength, Akshay has to be on steroid medications, which leaves him with impaired immunity, battling with various infections.
Two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was confined home continuously, with little contact with the outside world, was threatening to take a toll on his mental and physical health. That’s when Power Soccer rescued him.
For the uninitiated, Power Soccer is the fastest growing sport for power wheelchair users. It combines the skill of the person with the speed and power of the chair to create a fun, competitive, and accessible opportunity to play the most popular sport in the world. The rules are similar to outdoor soccer with a few modifications. The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court. Two teams of four athletes in power wheelchairs attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch ball in an attempt to score goals.
The sport was originally developed in France in the early 70s when some imaginative teachers in France created a form of football suited to the abilities of students with severe physical disabilities who used power wheelchairs. It was introduced to the United States in the early 80s.
The international organisation, Federation Internationale de Powerchair Football Association (FIPFA), headquartered in Paris, was born in 2006, the same year the U.S. formally organised the USPSA, with its headquarters in Indiana.
Power Soccer today has grown into an international sport, with 27 countries playing the game and more than 250 teams competing worldwide. As the game continues to evolve, so does the equipment, the rules and…most of all, the players, says USPSA website.
Akshay joined the beginners’ team in October last and life has never been the same for him. The game uses a power wheelchair, Strikeforce, explicitly made for Power Soccer and which is tailored to aid the player’s fast forward and reverse movements in the field.
“We still remember the devastation of that day when we were told that our son has a progressive, terminal disease. Power Soccer did not just open up his world, it rescued us also from the depths of despair…. The socialisation, fraternal feeling and the self-confidence that this game instills in those with disabilities is amazing. We harbour no expectations for the future, but for now, we are also happy to ride this wave of euphoria with Akshay, as he prepares for the next level,” says Renjith
Power Soccer is not a paralympic sport at present. But FIPFA, has sought the recognition of the International Paralympic Committee and the USPSA is hoping that they can get a spot in the Summer Paralympics 2024 in Paris.
Physical activity and sports can open up the world for disabled children like no other and give them so much confidence and independence to move forward in life. It can help them deal with their stress, improve their mental health and bring happiness and relief to the caregivers.
“Not everyone might be fortunate to have Akshay’s circumstances. But I hope the government will invest time, attention, and resources in building facilities and creating sporting opportunities for the physically disabled so that they can also come into the mainstream and lead as normal lives as they can,” says Renjith.
