England amputee team may miss World Cup over £50,000 FA funding gap

England’s men’s amputee football team is struggling to raise £50,000 to compete at the World Cup in Mexico this November. Despite winning the Nations League in 2023, the squad remains excluded from the Football Association’s para-football funding structure.

The financial gulf is striking. The senior men’s team earned £21.5m in prize money for their recent World Cup run, alongside £1.1m in preparation funds. The amputee side, meanwhile, relies entirely on donations and volunteers to cover a fraction of that cost.

The FA funded the amputee programme until 2006 before cutting it. Today, the governing body supports six para national teams, but amputee football is not among them. “We’re Nations League champions, and there’s a chance we won’t go to this World Cup. For an England team at the top of the game to miss a World Cup due to funding, it doesn’t sit right,” said former head coach Scott Rogers.

FA representatives shadowed the team at the 2022 World Cup and subsequently made a funding offer. However, Rogers said the proposal would have reduced training frequency and cut specialist coaching staff. The charity declined the offer because returning to the FA umbrella while retaining external donations was not permitted.

Since going independent, the England Amputee Football Association has built a robust infrastructure. The women’s team reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural World Cup in 2024, and the youth system includes more than 70 players. Yet players are currently paying for their own flights to an upcoming match in Ireland.

Rogers, who stepped down as head coach in 2024 but remains involved, warned that the current funding model is unsustainable. Public television appeals are not a reliable long-term solution. “When you look at the funding within the FA and the money involved in football, what we’re asking for to make an amazing programme is a drop in the ocean,” he said.

The FA defended its position, with a spokesperson stating the organisation continues to work closely with the association to deliver its priorities. Rogers, however, fears that without a sudden shift in institutional support, a thriving volunteer-run programme will be “ground into the ground when we’re on the verge of something incredibly special.”