International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football

The International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) is the world governing body for cerebral palsy football. It was founded in January 2015, when the governance of the sport transferred from the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA).

History

From 1978 to 2014, cerebral palsy football was governed by the Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association (CPISRA). On 1 January 2015, CP football became an independent sport and the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) was created to govern the game. After the 2016 Paralympic Games, women CP football was started. The first-ever IFCPF Women's World Cup was played in 2022.

1. 1978 – 1st International CP Football competition for men
2. 1982 – First World Championship
3. 1984 – Inclusion within the Paralympic Games
4. 1985 – First Regional Championship in Glasgow
5. 2015 Inaugural IFCPF CP Football World Championships U19 at the CPISRA World Games
6. 2022 – First-ever IFCPF Women World Cup

Governance

The president of IFCPF is Jan-Hein Evers of Netherlands. The organisation's secretary general is Sam Turner of England.

Members

The IFCPF is organized zonally, with members belonging to one of five continental zones. These zones are Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. These members are often either national cerebral palsy football associations, national cerebral palsy sports federations, national Paralympic committees, or national football associations. The type of member in the IFCPF varies by country.

Regional

88 nations:

1. Asia-Oceania: Iran, Australia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam
2. Africa (13): Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Cape Verde, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Uganda
3. Americas (17): Brazil, United States, Argentina, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago
4. Europe (28): Ukraine, England, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Russia, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales

Events

Games

1. Football 7-a-side at the Summer Paralympics
2. CP Football at the CP Games
3. CP Football at the Asian Para Games
4. CP Football at the ASEAN Para Games

Championship

Global

1. IFCPF World Cup
2. World Women CP Football Championships
3. CP Football Club World Cup

Regional

1. Pan American CP Football Championships
2. Asian CP Football Championships (Asia-Oceania)
3. African CP Football Championships
4. European CP Football Championships

Ranking

Men

As of December 2024:

1. Ukraine
2. Iran
3. Brazil
4. England
5. Netherlands

Women

As of December 2023:

1. Australia
2. Japan
3. United States
4. Ireland
5. Denmark

Player classification

CP football teams consist of seven ambulant athletes on the field of play, with cerebral palsy or a traumatic brain injury. In total, 14 players can be listed on the team sheet. In order to ensure fairness between two teams, each team must have two FT5 or FT6 (FT1) players on the field at all times and no more than one FT8 (FT3) player on the field at any time.

There are two sets of classifications that are used in CP Football: pre-2018 classifications and post-2018 classifications. Pre-2018, the classifications ranged from FT5 (CP5) to FT8 (CP8) where FT8 players show minimal impairment and FT5 players show more significant impairment. The Pre-2018 classifications are still used domestically.

Post-2018, the classification system was revamped and the eligible classification for international matches ranging from FT1–FT3. Players classed as FT1 are considered to have more significant impairment (FT5 and FT6 equivalent) and FT3 players have minimal impairment (FT8 equivalent). Both classification systems are based off an individual's type of movement and where the impairment is located.

Relationships

In 2016, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Asian Football Confederation. Part of this involved the AFC supporting an AFC Youth CP Football Tournament in 2017. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, IFCPF was getting financial support from UEFA.

Anti-doping

The IFCPF is a WADA signatory. In 2016, after getting an endorsement by the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA), the IFCPF Anti-Doping Code was formally amended to allow for out of competition testing. This was done through a WADA approved Whereabouts Programme managed through ADAMS. Drawing from players in a Registered Testing Pool, 10 players from 9 countries were initially included ahead of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio. These countries included Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Iran, Argentina, Ireland, Ukraine, England, and Brazil.

Records by country

See also

• World Abilitysport

Footnotes

External links