England's men's amputee football team, the reigning Nations League champions, face the prospect of missing the upcoming World Cup in Mexico due to a lack of funding. The team needs £50,000 to cover tournament costs but has raised less than half that amount, and the Football Association (FA) has declined to provide financial support.
FA funding gap leaves champions stranded
Head coach Scott Rogers, who led the team to the Nations League title in 2023, expressed frustration that the FA funds six para national teams but excludes amputee football. "I look at the sign at St George's Park that says it's the home of all England's football teams and I think, 'Well, not all of them,'" Rogers said.
The amputee programme was under the FA umbrella until 2006, when funding was cut. Since then, the team has operated as a charity, relying on volunteers and donations. Despite success—including a women's team reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in 2024 and a junior system with over 70 players—the men's side struggles to finance international competitions.
Players pay their own way
Rogers noted that players, who have full-time jobs, previously had to raise £1,500 each to secure their place for tournaments. He scrapped that requirement when he became head coach in 2023. An appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain helped the team raise over £50,000 for Euro 2024, but for the World Cup, they are not even halfway to the target.
"These people don't get paid for playing, they have jobs," Rogers said. "If the programme isn't of a certain level, what's the incentive to continue to play? They sacrifice holidays with their families."
FA offer declined
FA representatives shadowed the team at the 2022 World Cup and were impressed, but a subsequent funding offer would have reduced training frequency and cut coaching staff. The team declined, as coming under the FA umbrella while accepting other funding was not an option, Rogers said.
Rogers, who stepped down as head coach in 2024 but remains involved, believes even £50,000 a year from the FA would make a difference. "When you look at the funding within the FA and the money involved in football, what we're asking for is a drop in the ocean," he said.
An FA spokesperson said: "We continue to work closely with the England Amputee Football Association to support, identify and help deliver their key priorities over the coming season, and the continued development of amputee football in England."
Urgent need for long-term support
Rogers warned that without long-term funding, the programme could decline. "It's there, it's ready to go," he said. "But the danger is if we don't secure long-term funding soon—because we can't keep going on telly, it's a model that won't continue to work—I feel that we're going to start to fall away."
The team is paying for their own flights for a game in Ireland next month, highlighting the financial strain. Rogers praised the FA's para programme staff but said they cannot secure funding from above. "Unless something changes and somebody stands up and says, 'Listen, this can't happen any more,' I think it'll be ground into the ground when we're on the verge of something incredibly special," he said.
