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England cannot afford trip to amputee World Cup – and the FA will not help
England's men's amputee football team, reigning Nations League champions, may be unable to attend the World Cup in Mexico this November because they cannot raise the £50,000 needed to cover costs. The Football Association funds six para national teams but does not include amputee football among them, leaving the side reliant on charity funding and public donations despite their success on the pitch. Head coach Scott Rogers says it "doesn't sit right" that a team at the top of the world game could miss a World Cup purely due to lack of funding.
The FA cut funding for the amputee programme in 2006, prompting it to become an independent charity that now runs a full structure of coaches, doctors and analysts on a volunteer basis, including a women's team that reached the 2024 World Cup quarter-finals and a junior setup of more than 70 players. By contrast, England's able-bodied team earned £21.5m in prize money for finishing third at their World Cup plus £1.1m in preparation funds. The FA did make a funding offer after scouting the amputee team at the 2022 World Cup, but it would have meant reduced training and fewer specialist staff, so it was declined; a 2024 TV appeal helped fund their Euro 2024 trip, but the World Cup fundraising total is currently less than half of the £50,000 target.
In short
- England's amputee football champions may miss the World Cup over funding
- The FA does not fund amputee football among its para teams
- The charity-run side still needs over half of its £50,000 target
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The FA should fund the amputee team because they are reigning Nations League champions at elite international level, and the FA already funds six other para teams, making their exclusion arbitrary and unjust. When a world-champion team cannot afford to compete at a World Cup whilst the able-bodied team receives £22.6m, it represents a profound failure of fairness and contradicts the FA's stated commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
The case against
The FA operates with limited resources and must make difficult prioritisation decisions; the amputee programme has proven viable as an independent charity run substantially by volunteers, a model many specialised sports adopt successfully. The FA's previous funding offer, declined over operational concerns, suggests the issue is more complex than funding alone, and expecting the FA to guarantee equivalent support across all national team programmes would be unrealistic for any sports organisation.
Explained simply
Amputee football is a form of the game played by athletes with limb differences. England’s men’s team competes internationally and has won the Nations League, while the wider programme includes women’s and junior teams.
The Football Association funds some para national teams but does not fund the amputee programme. Since FA funding ended in 2006, the programme has operated as an independent charity, relying on donations and volunteers to run its teams and support staff.
The issue is how national sporting bodies support teams whose international competition brings costs but little income. England’s able-bodied team receives substantial tournament and preparation funding, while the amputee team depends on public fundraising to meet its costs.
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