LIONS POWERCHAIR TEAM COMPETE IN 2025 AUSTRALIAN POWERCHAIR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (APFA) NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AT NISSAN ARENA
Our Lions PFC team proudly represented the club at the annual APFA National Championships, where they faced the best clubs from all over Australia (and New Zealand) in an epic week-long competition at Nissan Arena.
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Day one of the contest saw us pinned against two of the toughest teams in the competition (including the eventual Championship Winners, Melbourne City), and despite facing two harsh results to kick-start the tournament, the boys remained focused and lively.
Our first game against St. George ended 8-1, but with the celebrations after Darcy Clews scored his first goal of the season, you might think we had just taken the lead. Despite the difficulty of the competition, the boys showed immense passion in our opening game.
We were heavily defeated against Melbourne City later that day, losing 7-0 against a brilliant team. Our PFC boys showed incredible desire, resilience, and heart as they frustrated City and forced them into plenty of errors.
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Day two saw a far stronger outcome for the boys. We secured our first points of the tournament with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Hills United. We created numerous chances, and were unlucky not to score a winner.
The second game against Aulkand was end-to-end, and despite creating pressure in the final third, we were unfortunate to concede a decisive penalty that saw us lose 1-0 on the Show Court.
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Starting against a young Sydney PFC side on Day 3, our Lions boys showed courage and character but were once again defeated in the most painful way possible. An awkward deflection saw Sydney snatch the lead with thirty seconds remaining in the game. We lost 1-0 and looked ahead to our next clash against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Another 1-0 defeat followed as WSW defended a first-half lead. We played some outstanding attacking football in this fixture, sending several great chances agonisingly wide of the goal as we desperately chased a goal in the second half!
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We secured our FIRST victory of the tournament on Day 4! An immense effort against the Adelaide Comets ended 1-0 in our favour after a stunning goal from Bailey Abra! A well-deserved win after putting 100% into every game and failing to find the crucial goal.
While we were later outclassed by the Brisbane Strikers in a 4-0 defeat, we showed courage to keep our heads up and continued fighting until the end.
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On Day 5, we played our final game of the APFA Table before heading into the playoffs.
Facing runners-up Newcastle Jets, our Lions PFC boys put up a massive effort but were defeated 4-0 by the eventual Grand Finalists. We drew Newcastle again in the playoffs and were heavily beaten 7-0 as the side looked to cement their dominance before heading into finals.
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Our final day of the tournament was a blockbuster battle that unfortunately went against us. Facing the Adelaide Comets in a playoff clash on the Show Court, both sides battled intensely and were forced to settle the tie on penalties after failing to break the deadlock.
We faltered on the spot, and were defeated 2-0 on penalties to end our tournament in defeat.
As a club, we are unbelievably proud of our Lions Powerchair team and the effort they showed across the tournament. Facing the top teams across the nation and playing two games per day is no small feat.
Special thanks to the boys for their incredible effort, to Coach Brandon Zoing for his dedication to the team, and to all of the carers, supporters, and volunteers who worked tirelessly across the course of this tournament. A massive thanks as well to our key sponsors First2Care and ASDA Provider Group, who ensured the boys had everything they needed to compete and came along every single day to support the boys.
While the 2025 Championships are over, we’re ambitious and eager to return even stronger in 2026!
By Chandler Milligan
