Have a go:

Regular training:

Llantrisant
Barry

BBC Article - Wolverhampton, May '06

Josie Pearson – "The blokes don't bat an eyelid that you're a girl – they take no prisoners when they're trying to get the ball!"

"I've been playing since November 2005 – I picked up the basics pretty quickly. I'm still pretty new to the game and feel confused and nervous half the time but I love it! It's a real adrenaline rush.

"I think it's a brilliant sport – I went to one training session and fell in love with it. The guys were really welcoming and I never felt singled out just because I am a girl. In fact we need more girls to play as there's only a handful of us - because of the classification system the sport is unisex which is great.

"It's a full-on sport and it takes a while to develop court awareness and get enough experience to be fully involved in games. Going to these tournaments is great – you get loads of tips from other players which is really useful.

"I like the fact that wheelchair rugby is a mixed sport – it brings a different feel to the game. The blokes don't bat an eyelid that you're a girl – they take no prisoners when they're trying to get the ball! The sport is growing phenomenally fast but we still need more girls and more publicity – come along and see a game!"

James Price, GB Development Team manager– "We promote wheelchair sports to help people enjoy more of life"

"At the GB Development team we're responsible for finding areas of the country which need new teams, finding new players and organising demonstration weekends which are all about encouraging people to have a go.

"I've been playing rugby since 2001 on the GB Elite Long (reserve) squad and I was captain of the Development team. The Development team will be much more integral to the GB Elite team from 2007 – all players will have to go through the Development team before they can have an Elite trial.

"We have two potential new teams to be added in the next year – we're looking to add one in North Wales and we want to help Scotland rebuild their team. After that we want to add a further two teams in 2008.

"We promote wheelchair sports to help people have a more fulfilling life through sport – the physical aspect of it and especially the social side – it's great."

Richard Vowles, Secretary, Welsh Pirates – "We want to show that disabled people can inspire"

Working with the Welsh Disability Federation to create a North Wales team

"Wheelchair Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the UK – as soon as people see it they love it – it's so action packed.

"I've been playing for two or three years now – I used to be a professional boxer and play rugby – incidentally that's how I became disabled. Discovering wheelchair rugby gave me a new lease of life.

"Playing increases your strength which makes life so much easier – even with little things like getting in and out of the car. It helps your social life as you meet so many people in the same situation as you – which also increases your confidence. Everything about the sport makes your life easier and more enjoyable."

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