England’s wheelchair team, like many sports teams, haven’t been in action since before 2020 however, the team have finally been given three dates of mid-season matches and can now work towards returning to the game.
The Coronavirus pandemic has meant that new coach, Shaun Wane, hasn’t managed to take charge or get together with his squad since he came on board because of the nature of wheelchair rugby league and sports halls being closed. The players at least have been managing to play for their clubs in a covid-safe environment.
Virtually Keeping Fit
The players have been limited to what they could do to stay fit and train throughout the pandemic, with their wheelchairs costing £8,000 and not being suitable for outside use, they had to be put to the side. The team had to get creative and have been using methods such as passing the ball against the wall or sofa, roping in family members to help them – it’s not been ideal for them, but they’ve been challenging themselves. The players were also provided with amazing adapted treadmills that they could use their wheelchairs on, this helped them stay in shape as much as they could and take part in virtual fitness sessions.
The ideal scenario would be the whole team training in the sports hall, but they’ve proved you don’t need a gym to stay fit and hope that motivated others to work out at home.
Game Focus
The next job for the team is the mid-season clash with Wales in Sheffield which is vital to their preparations for the World Cup at the end of the year when matches will be played in London and Liverpool with eight teams competing. Coach Coyd played wheelchair rugby league before moving into coaching and is ecstatic to see the game bush boundaries all across the world.
Rugby league is a top sport in England, especially in the North but Coyd hopes to see it roll out across the globe even more and expose it as the inclusive sport that it is.
“With countries like Norway and Spain taking part, as well as Brazil [in the women’s tournament], that will hopefully go a long way to improving rugby league’s reach around the globe.” Coyd stated.
