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Hull & East Yorkshire PFC are proud to publish an exclusive Q&A feature with West Bromwich Albion PFC winger and England powerchair football player Marcus Harrison. Marcus has been playing powerchair football for just over 10 years in that time; winning the MDUK Premiership title in the 2017/18, 2018/19 and recently 2019/20 season. The talented winger received his England call-up in The Three Lions shirt in the 2019 EPFA Nations Cup in Pajulahti, Finland last year, which saw him scoring two pivotal goals in the Final against France. This saw him winning the golden boot!
How long have you been playing Powerchair football?
I've been playing powerchair football since I was 11 so just over 10 years!
What do you enjoy the most about powerchair football?
The thing I enjoy most about powerchair football is being able to compete as a team and being able to compete at the the highest level as I'm very competitive
Why should someone who has a physical disability, and uses a wheelchair on a daily basis try powerchair football?
Someone with a physical disability should try powerchair football as it's a great way to socialise and meet new people but it's also a great way to compete! It can then lead you down many different paths as it may influence what you study at college/university or it could take you all around the world competing at international competitions like it has with myself and you may even get to represent your country!
How has powerchair football changed your life?
The sports changed my life in so many different ways as I met my best friend whilst playing it and also met so many great people along the way, but it also had an influence on what I studied at school as I chose to study P.E and has also allowed me to travel all over the world competing at the highest level whilst representing my country!
What’s your favourite top four memories during your career so far?
#1 The European championship final against France has got to be number one, that day was unreal. 2-0 down against the world champions with 10 minutes left to play and bringing it level was surreal as I thought it was over. To score the 2 goals and score the winning penalty in the penalty shootout whilst winning the golden boot made it even more special and it's a day I will never forget!
#2 Winning our first Premier League title with West Bromwich was also a special day, the squad was completely new with only me and Chris Gordon remaining from the previous season, we had recruited well and the new team gelled instantly, we got better and better as the year went on and the more wins we got the more we believed we could do it. There were lots of ups and downs that season but winning it the way we did on the last day of the season in dramatic fashion made it even better after so many years of trying to win our first league title.
#3 The Champions League semi final against vaccuason (check the spelling of that) was another memorable game for me, we went into the game big underdogs and took the early lead, they then equilised and the game went into extra time and penalties, after the first round of penalties it was level and went into sudden death until they missed theirs and I had to step up to take the winning penalty and thankfully scored, the buzz around the squad afterwards is something I'll always remember!
#4 The FA cup final at St George's park just after winning our first Premier League title was another memorable day. All of the squad had a lot of family members and friends in the stands, it was a great experience. The first half was fairly even and then in the 2nd half Aspire had us under the cosh until Luke Kelly popped up with a reverse spin goal which turned out to be the winning goal, after this we controlled the game and won our first FA cup along with our first Premier League in the same season, it's was even more special to do it in front of our friends and family!
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
In 5 years time I see myself becoming a Champions League and World Cup winner whilst winning many more WFA Cups and Premier League titles along the way
Let’s go back to when you first tried powerchair football, how did it feel?
When I first started playing powerchair football it was great as I already played a sport called powerchair hockey so I could transfer a lot of my skills over from that and it also allowed me to play the sport I love, football.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself
My favourite alcoholic drink is a double vodka (Ciroc red berry) and lemonade.
What are your hobbies away from Powerchair football?
My hobbies away from playing powerchair football are watching football and going to Goodison park to watch Everton play. I also enjoy playing poker in casino's and online, socialising with my friends, going to nightclubs with them and also traveling around the world with them, especially to Ibiza!
What have you been doing during the lockdown to keep yourself busy?
During lockdown I've been watching plenty of Netflix, playing poker online, catching up with my friends and also having a weekly quiz with them via zoom, shoutout to Luke Kelly the quiz master as well!
We would like to thank Marcus for taking his time during the lockdown to be involved in our exclusive Q&A features with the England Powerchair Football Team Players.
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