When you think of contact sports, people in wheelchairs would probably be some of the last people you would think of. But in the world of wheelchair rugby, ramming and smashing into each other is just part of the game

Wheelchair rugby is one of the most popular sports at the Paralympic Games, and for good reason. It’s one of the few full-contact disability sports, and it allows men and women to compete on equal terms.

The Only team in Scotland is the Caledonian Crushers, based out of Tollcross Sports Centre.
The team started in 2010 after being inspired by Michael Kerr, the only Scottish player in the GB Wheelchair Rugby Team

Chris Dempster a 10-year veteran of the sport said this about the team
“It’s a hobby, but it’s also a kind of socialising and meeting with other people who have similar experiences. A lot of people maybe don’t think about is that it is absolutely possible to go through your life living in certain parts of Scotland and never meet really another disabled person with the same disability as you.
I grew up in Galloway where like sure there were other disabled people, but I was the only wheelchair user in my high school. So there is actually something about that community that I didn’t realise, I missed”.

Jen Lang, who has played for 7 years highlights the importance of the sport in the disabled community she said “Wheelchair rugby is an amazing sport for anyone to play. I think that the more representation there are not just women but the community playing this sport, because it’s aggressive and quite full on, can maybe allow people to see that wheelchair users are not quite shy but can really succeed in quite a high-octane sport.”

To learn more about the Caledonian Crushers please visit their website at: https://www.caledoniancrushers.co.uk/