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Sport is a way of life in Australia, with 90 per cent of adults participating at least once a year.
However, for Queenslanders with disabilities, it’s not as easy, with fewer than 25 per cent getting the chance to play on a weekly basis.
Sporting Wheelies is bridging the gap with a brand-new Wheelchair Cricket program set to be in full swing in Brisbane and the Gold Coast this week.
Coach Grant Cunningham says the program initially started with a conversation surrounding Australia’s favourite sport and the lack of an adaptive branch.
“I was looking for a wheelchair cricket program and I couldn't find one, so I talked to the inclusion officer [at Cricket Queensland] and we arranged to come and try.”
Cunningham says they now have two competitions going, with one commencing on the Gold Coast next week.
“The program runs for eight weeks and at the end we're going to have the Gold Coast versus Brisbane wheelchair cricket bash, like a final.”
The format is similar to regular cricket, but it’s played inside. There’s two batsmen and the batting team can wheel through the wicket to score extra runs.
“Being a disability sport there's going to be adaptions made everywhere, so as we're working through our program we'll make those adaptions, those changes where we need to” he says.
Wheelchair cricket can be done from a rolling start or a stationary start. Those who have trouble with bowling can roll further up the pitch.
Cunningham explains the more sports that are available to people with a disability, the more likely they are to find something they've been passionate about.
“It's all about just promoting all the different activities that are out there and encouraging people with a disability to say, come on, let's go try these things, and let's get out and enjoy ourselves.”
Cunningham is hopeful the Paralympics will look at adding wheelchair cricket to the 2032 games.