Club coach Adam Lloyd was delighted with the funding, and said it would allow them to buy a second-hand Strikeforce sports chair for the team.
Powerchair football (or power soccer) is a very competitive team sport, specifically for individuals with high-level physical disabilities who use power wheelchairs.
It is played on a basketball court, where two teams of four use specialised chairs with foot guards, to dribble, pass and spin-kick a 13-inch ball, over two 20-minute halves.
Mr Lloyd said the additional powerchair would help to open the sport up to more players with physical disabilities around Dunedin.
‘‘With more Strikeforce sports chairs, we can provide opportunities for people who use a wheelchair to, maybe one day, play football for their regions or country.
‘‘This is a massive sport recognised by Fifa, with the same respect as the running game.
‘‘This funding just gets us that little bit closer.’’
Mr Lloyd said the Strikeforce chairs were the top of the line and of very high quality.
‘‘The responsiveness of the Strikeforce chairs - the motors, the batteries, the wheels and the engineering of it, the wheels, the whole lot — they’re just better.
‘‘It’s probably like going from a pair of Dunlop volleys to a pair of Air Jordans.
‘‘A full set of Strikeforces will take us a lot closer to peak performance.’’
He said the team was only three years old and was still the only team in the South Island.
People were working hard to establish another team in Christchurch, but for now, the Dragons were competing against each other and occasionally against teams from the North Island.
He said the club hoped to compete in its first national competition in September this year, and then compete in regional tournaments twice a year — one tournament in the North Island and one in the South.
Ultimately, it was hoped some of the Dunedin players would be selected for the New Zealand powerchair football team which will compete at the 2032 Special Olympics, in Brisbane.
He said it was important to have a club like the Dragons in Dunedin because it gave people with disabilities a sense of belonging, and a way to continue to enjoy sport.
‘‘It gives the players confidence and a sense of belonging, and an opportunity to socialise with people like themselves.
‘‘Just to see their faces every training session - they just love it.
‘‘You can’t get the smiles off their faces.’’
• The club was one of 51 organisations to receive a share of more than $1.4 million in grants, in the first round of funding from the Otago Community Trust in 2026.
Other major grant recipients included Environmental Restoration and Conservation Whiria te Waitaki Ltd ($45,000), the Wild Game Recovery Charitable Trust ($14,173), Predator Free Wānaka ($10,000), the Otago Rally 50th anniversary ($20,000), and a new sports court for Brockville School ($25,000).
