The Gambia has launched its first women’s amputee football team, creating a new platform for women with limb loss to train, compete and represent their country in disability sport.
The initiative is being led by the Gambia Amputee Football Association (GAFA), with support reportedly provided by the European Union, the World Amputee Football Federation and disability organisation STAND.
According to Voice Gambia, the launch brought together players, organisers and sports stakeholders to recognise what has been described as a historic development for women with disabilities in the country.
The formation of the team is particularly significant because amputee football in The Gambia has previously been dominated by male participation. It now gives women an organised route into training, national competition and potentially international amputee football.
Fifteen players complete inaugural training camp
A report by The Point said that 15 female players participated in a three-day women’s amputee football training camp at the National Technical Training Centre in Old Yundum.
The programme combined practical football sessions with education on the laws of amputee football, teamwork, concentration, life skills, safeguarding and conflict resolution.
Veronic Aisha Malack, president of the Women Amputee Football Association and the project’s course coordinator, described the initiative as an opportunity to break barriers and open a new era for women’s participation in amputee sport.
Organisers intend to develop female teams across The Gambia’s regions, expanding participation beyond the initial national group. GAFA officials have also indicated that additional men’s teams could be established outside the areas where amputee football is already active.
Creating regional teams will be important if the programme is to reach women who cannot regularly travel to the Greater Banjul Area for training.
Amputee football is played without prostheses
Amputee football is generally played seven-a-side under rules adapted from association football.
Under the World Amputee Football Federation’s laws, outfield players have a lower-limb amputation or limb deficiency and move using forearm crutches. Goalkeepers have an upper-limb amputation or limb deficiency.
Artificial limbs are removed before play. Outfield players therefore compete without their walking or running prostheses.
This distinguishes amputee football from sports in which athletes use specialised prosthetic components. Performance depends on crutch mobility, balance, upper-body strength, speed, ball control and the ability to change direction safely on one leg.
The format also makes appropriate equipment essential. Crutches must be strong, correctly sized and maintained, while worn rubber tips require prompt replacement. Players may also benefit from suitable residual-limb protection, footwear and access to physiotherapy or sports rehabilitation support.
Sport can extend rehabilitation beyond the clinic
Football is not a replacement for clinical rehabilitation, but it can provide meaningful goals after formal treatment has ended.
For a woman adapting to limb loss, returning to physical activity may involve rebuilding balance, strength and endurance. It can also mean learning to trust her body again and participating in a community where disability is understood rather than hidden.
Regular training may support:
- Cardiovascular fitness and physical endurance
- Balance and coordination
- Upper-body and sound-limb strength
- Confidence in movement
- Peer support and social connection
- Personal identity beyond disability
- Leadership and teamwork skills
The World Health Organization has called for more inclusive opportunities for physical activity, noting that people with disabilities frequently lack access to suitable programmes and safe environments.
For rehabilitation professionals, the launch in The Gambia reinforces the importance of measuring outcomes through participation as well as clinical performance. Successful rehabilitation is not limited to walking with a prosthesis or completing exercises in a therapy department. It also includes returning to sport, education, employment and community life.
Female athletes face overlapping barriers
Women with disabilities can experience exclusion based on both gender and disability.
They may have fewer opportunities to participate in organised sport, limited access to transport and training facilities, and less visibility in media and sports leadership. Families or communities may also discourage participation because of assumptions about disability, safety or the expected roles of women.
UN Women has highlighted the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination experienced by women and girls with disabilities.
A national women’s amputee football team can help challenge those perceptions by placing female athletes in visible and competitive roles. Players become representatives of sporting ability rather than passive recipients of care.
That visibility may encourage other women with amputations or limb differences to seek out sport, rehabilitation and peer-support opportunities.
P&O professionals can support safe participation
Although players do not wear prostheses during matches, prosthetists, orthotists and rehabilitation professionals can still make an important contribution.
Crutch-based football places repeated loading through the hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders. It can also increase demand on the remaining lower limb. Players may consequently require guidance on strength, conditioning, joint protection, footwear and recovery.
Residual-limb health should also be monitored. Falls, friction, direct contact and repeated movement can cause bruising or skin damage that may subsequently affect prosthetic use.
Relevant support may include:
- Residual-limb and skin assessment
- Review of everyday prosthetic fit
- Crutch measurement and maintenance
- Sound-limb and footwear assessment
- Shoulder and wrist injury prevention
- Physiotherapy and conditioning
- Management of overuse symptoms
- Return-to-play guidance following injury
The objective should be to enable performance while reducing avoidable injuries that could interfere with everyday mobility.
Sustainability will determine the team’s impact
Launching the team is an important first step, but long-term success will depend on what follows.
The programme will need regular training, qualified coaches, safe playing surfaces, transport support, appropriate crutches, safeguarding procedures and opportunities to compete. Players will also need access to healthcare and rehabilitation when injuries occur.
Clear development pathways will be important for young players. These should allow participants to progress from introductory sessions to regional teams, national selection, coaching, refereeing and administrative roles.
The Gambia’s men’s amputee football team has previously participated in continental competitions, including tournaments in Tanzania, Egypt and Senegal. That experience could provide a foundation for developing the women’s programme and preparing players for international competition.
The country can also learn from other African programmes. As IMEA CPO previously reported, Rwanda’s amputee football movement has developed both men’s and women’s teams while using sport to promote community, confidence and social inclusion.
The launch of The Gambia’s first women’s amputee football team now gives female athletes a visible place within that wider African movement.
Its value will not be measured only through future tournament results. It will also be seen in the number of women who gain confidence, friendships, leadership opportunities and a stronger sense of belonging through the game.
- Voice Gambia – Gambia Launches First Female Amputee Football Team
- Voice Gambia – GAFA Forms The Gambia’s First Women’s Amputee Football Team
- The Point – Gambia Launches First Amputee Female Football Association Team
- The Point – GAFA Commissions New Female Amputee Team
- World Amputee Football Federation – Laws of the Game
- WHO – Building Fairer Opportunities for Physical Activity
- UN Women – Women and Girls with Disabilities
- IMEA CPO – Rwanda’s Amputee Footballers Support Healing and Inclusion