Football Seven-a-side

8 teams compete for 1 gold medal

The seven-a-side football tournament in the Paralympics will be run largely in the same way as the five-a-side tournament except, of course, for the addition of an extra two players on each team.

As with five-a-side football, the rules of seven-a-side football in the Paralympics are contained and managed under FIFA regulations, although these have been modified slightly to take account of the additional rules needed for the Paralympics version.

Seven-a-side football is just as accessible as the five-a-side version and is played mainly by those with cerebral palsy. Due to the differing nature of the disability, rules are in place to ensure that there is an even distribution of disability levels across both teams. The class levels that actually take part range from 5 to 8; the playing area which they use is smaller than standard eleven-a-side football. There is also no offside rule.

The match lasts one hour with thirty minutes per half. Teams swap sides at half-time. This is a relatively new sport to join the Paralympics and in 2006 the number of entrants was just five although interest is growing.

As well as following the FIFA rules the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association are also involved and assist in adjusting the rules to suit the players such as allowing throw-ins to be taken one-handed.