Sugden says, “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to compete every year the event has been held and I love it. It’s been great to see how the event has progressed. In the first year we were in a tiny school and now we play in front of a big crowd in a huge stadium. It’s so great to be able to play in a tournament like the BT Paralympic World Cup, which has such a great atmosphere with a home crowd behind us and in front of our friends and family. My mum comes to every international tournament and my grandma and my auntie will be here cheering us on.”

In addition to the support of the home crowd, the event will provide an important step in the team’s preparation for the World Championships this July in Birmingham.

GB women’s coach Garry Peel added, “As always, the BT Paralympic World Cup offers the women a great insight in to where they currently are performance-wise and what they need to be doing as we head towards 2012. Having the opportunity to compete in a multi-sport event on home soil is a great experience and it only helps to make them stronger every year. We will certainly be looking for a top three finish. Our squad is a mixture of youth and experience, and the BT Paralympic World Cup offers us a chance to play top sides in the world and give a chance to those less experienced to gain essential game time before the World Championships and London 2012.”

The squad consists of Caroline Maclean (Haverhill), Frances Ray (Wolverhampton), Clare Strange (High Wycombe), Helen Freeman (Watford/Reading), Laurie Williams (Manchester), Judith Hamer (Plymouth), Debee Steel (County Down, Northern Ireland), Madeleine Thompson (Chesterfield), Helen Turner (East Sheen), Louise Sugden (Wokingham), Pauline McDonald (Southampton), Caroline Matthews (Cardiff), with reserves Emily Scrivener (Sible Hedingham), Amy Conroy (Norwich) and Kirsty Archibald (Fareham).

Overall, athletes will compete in four sports at world class competition venues in Manchester: Wheelchair Basketball, Football 7-a-side and Athletics at the Manchester Regional Arena and Swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

For the first time this year, a team challenge has been introduced which sees Great Britain take on teams from the Americas, Europe and the Rest of the World, with athletes competing for the overall BT Paralympic World Cup trophy.

Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are now on sale and can be purchased via the event website: http://www.btparalympicworldcup.com/ or by calling 0844 8471622. Tickets are priced at £6 per session.

BT is the title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup; the sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association (CPISRA) and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by BT, ParalympicsGB, the FA, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
The BBC, the official televised partner to the event, will broadcast live from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday 31 May 2010 on BBC Television.

The event schedule will see Athletics on 25 May, Football 7-a-side on 26-29 May and Wheelchair Basketball on 27-30 May, all at the Manchester Regional Arena and Swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre on 31 May.

Follow the BT Paralympic World Cup on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BTPWC