THE Penrith Pumas have said that they are 'excited' ahead of the first national Wheelchair Rugby Fives National Tournament.

Whilst the new Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) Fives season does not begin until Spring 2025, the club are gearing up to compete in the first GBWR Fives National Tournament. 

This competition will take place at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury on Saturday, November 16, and Sunday, November 17, and will see the top Wheelchair Rugby Fives teams from across the country face off.

At the first-of-its-kind tournament, the Penrith Pumas will compete for a cup, and ahead of the two-day competition, managing director Megan Fearnley was on hand to express her excitement.

She said: "We are massively excited.

"There are going to be twelve teams from across the UK competing over two days, the top six which includes ourselves will be playing for the cup.

"This is the first time that Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby have hosted a national tournament where there is a prize like this and it is all about increasing awareness of people who can play and encouraging people to come and watch and see the sport."

The national tournament comes a few months after Wheelchair Rugby was once again showcased on the global stage at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Whilst Megan believes that Wheelchair Rugby is gaining a greater audience, she hopes that more people in Cumbria will get behind the county's leading Wheelchair Rugby side. 

She said: "I definitely think there has been an increased awareness but I still think there is a lot more to be done.

"I think people need to realise and find out that there is a local wheelchair rugby club here in Cumbria.

"We can't shout about the sport enough because not enough people know about us but there is definitely that growing awareness nationally and locally. 

"The sport is available to all whether they have a lower level impairment or a more severe disability so it is an open field and I think a lot more people are recognising the power of disability sports and looking  to find their nearest clubs and we are excited to keep growing."

Following the Paralympic Games, the club is also rapidly turning its attention to the 2028 games in Los Angeles and hoping that Team GB in America will contain some Cumbrian Wheelchair Rugby stars.

She said: "We have got a couple of our players that have registered for the 'Pathway to Podium' program so they are being observed and assessed by Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby.

"As soon as the Paralympic finish we are thinking about the next ones in LA and GB are on the lookout for new athletes and we are going to be encouraging and supporting any of our players who are interested."