Dean Williams – One Year Anniversary
Dean Williams reflects on his first season as Chair and looks forward to the future.
What a wonderful season it has been, my first as WFA Chair. A huge thank you to the Powerchair Football (PF) community for welcoming and adopting me into the family.
On the ‘pitch,’ we enjoyed extremely competitive Premiership and Championship campaigns, which were seen by more people globally than ever before due to investments in streaming and commentary capabilities. This season, over 70,000 people from 24 different countries watched via our streaming – an 89% increase from the previous season.
Our domestic cup competition, The WFA Cup, served as a superb showcase for our sport live on TNT Sports 1. The atmosphere created by the fans was fantastic and translated brilliantly to all those watching.
Internationally, we enjoyed historic success with Aspire being crowned EPFA Champions Cup winners in Paris in June – the first time in history that a team from England has won the Champions League. Whilst all accolades should rightly lie with the Aspire family, their success also reflects the quality, competitive nature, and nurturing of talent within our National League.
Earlier in the season, the English national team finished runners-up in the 2023 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup in Sydney, heartbreakingly losing on penalties in the final against France. Some effort that was. Ironically, many of the players on show that day (from both sides) went on to play in the Champions League Final mentioned above
Wider across our PF pyramid, our Regional Leagues continue to provide wonderful opportunities for our players to play and grow, and, of course, beautifully enable the induction of new clubs into the game. For the first time ever, every Regional League (like the National League) became an England Football Accredited League – setting a standard across our game.
Off the ‘pitch’, it’s been an extremely busy season too.
We have set a Medium Term Strategy (MTS), providing a clear picture of what PF will look like in the 2026/2027 season. This strategy offers direction and a blueprint for the next three seasons.
We have introduced new people and organisations to our wonderful sport. A multi-season sponsorship is pending for the WFA Cup, and six new companies were introduced to our game at the End of Season Awards night alone. We have established a thriving partnership with Class of 92-owned UA92, offering educational opportunities for their students and our community while involving them in researching performance and health-related matters. This collaboration aids our ability to educate coaches, players, parents, and carers within our community.
We continue to enjoy an extremely connected and productive relationship with our friends at The FA, and we are truly grateful for the opportunities they are affording us and our community.
We have had the opportunity to further build our profile as a sport, both in print and on screen. Appearances on ‘The One Show’ and ‘Blue Peter’ are just two examples of raising awareness during this season.
We administered the registration of the first non-European player in the Premiership, a milestone that has never been achieved before in England.
We were able to trial a more event-style offering at Derby Arena for The John Good Group WFA Cup Quarter and Semi-Finals, experimenting with both spectator seating and headsets. This is something we are looking to offer again for the 2024/2025 season as we look to scope and build the stage and environment for Powerchair Football in the future.
Innovation and experimentation have continued with our ‘2 on 1 Podcast’ and The WFA Scoreline App, to name two.
It has also been our pleasure to actively support International Women’s Day and Rainbow Laces, as well as celebrate the International Day of Disabled Persons.
We can acknowledge our progress, but moving forward, it’s important that we continue to have the appetite to improve and strive to be even better.
At the heart of our MTS are four core foundations: ‘Safety, first,’ ‘Opportunity,’ ‘Inclusivity,’ and ‘Competition.’ Essentially, this is our moral compass – the critical areas that guide our focus and decision-making. It’s ‘Safety, first’ for a reason. We will be further strengthening safeguarding and wellbeing within our game, adding to the sterling work already done. Our newly established ‘Technical Committee’ will be front and centre of research, offering advice on ensuring a safe environment for our players on the pitch.
This year, The WFA achieved record-breaking growth across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, driven by high-quality content and significant streaming improvements. Key drivers included surpassing 1,000 YouTube subscribers, enabling monetisation, and the popularity of short videos. Enhanced match commentary and graphics, as well as individual game links, further boosted engagement. Notable metrics include a 588% increase in Facebook reach, a 300% rise in Instagram reach, and a 60% growth in YouTube watch hours. These achievements have laid a strong foundation for continued success and growth in the upcoming seasons.
Financially, we need to continue attracting support to build in line with the MTS and to keep elevating Powerchair Football. We are developing a commercial proposition that will offer a suite of opportunities to individuals and businesses looking to get involved and partner with us.
Make no mistake, this Association is about people. I’m so grateful to have such a strong, tenacious, and spirited community. A community full of brilliant people who are so selfless with their time and unwavering in their support of each other when it’s needed most. The loss of our Fallen Heroes is such a prominent display of this strength. It’s a special family.
Please allow me to express my heartfelt thanks to everybody within our community: players, coaches, parents, carers, supporters, volunteers, officials, classifiers, sponsors, and partners. I am continually inspired by the commitment and enthusiasm shown throughout our vibrant sport.
And a sincere thank you to my fellow Trustees and Leadership Team for their dedication and energy in making us even better. So appreciated, team.
Here’s to next season: a season of more great football, unforgettable moments, new partnerships, and new initiatives.
