Australian Powerchair Football Association (APFA) has announced the squad that will defend the Asia Pacific Oceania (APO) Powerchair Football Cup Champions title in Brisbane in October.
Following a training camp held in Sydney during July 2025, eight players have been selected for the Poweroos squad to represent Australia at the 2025 Asia Pacific Oceania (APO) Cup from October 15 to 17.
Santo Bongiovanni (South Australia), Luke David (Victoria), Rebecca Evans (Victoria), Chris Hastas(NSW), Dimitri Liolio-Davis (NSW), Jack Parry (QLD), Tristam Peters (QLD) and Ryan Seck (NSW) will defend the APO Cup Champion title secured in 2019.
“This squad represents the perfect blend of experience and exciting new talent,” Robert Wright, Head Coach of the Australian Poweroos commented “We’re thrilled to welcome four debut players who bring fresh energy to the group, alongside seasoned athletes who know what it takes to compete at the highest level. The team is focused, hungry, and ready to defend our title on home soil.”
“It’s always an honour to wear the green and gold,” Rebecca Evans, Poweroos player commented “This team means everything to me, the commitment, the community, the chance to play the sport I love at the highest level. We’ve been training hard, and I can’t wait to hit the court in Brisbane and show how far we’ve come.”
The squad includes four players making their senior Poweroos debut: Bongiovanni, Hastas, Parry and Seck.
Poweroo veteran and Vice-Captain, Josh Merkas, recently announced his retirement from international level competition following a long and decorated career that included five international tournaments with the Poweroos team.
During September, the Poweroos squad will complete a training camp in Melbourne before arriving in Brisbane a few days ahead of the competition for a final camp to consolidate their game plan.
The 2025 APO Cup will be held at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena from 15 to 17 October 2025. It brings the National Powerchair Football teams from Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia together, with the winner crowned as APO Champions.
The top two teams from the 2025 APO Cup will qualify for the 2026 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup to be held in Argentina.
This will be the third time Australia has hosted this event with the last APO Cup held in Sydney and where the Poweroos secured the Champions title after remaining undefeated.
