Leicestershire to excel in Blind Football
As part of its commitment to the development of ‘Inclusive’ (Disability) football, Leicestershire and Rutland County FA has been awarded a license to run a Regional Centre of Excellence for Blind Football. The aim of the Centre is to identify and recruit Blind and Visually Impaired players, both locally and across the East Midlands who are interested in playing football. Working in partnership with Leicester City Football in the Community, the Centre of Excellence will run on Saturday mornings from September 2011 at Judgemeadow Community College in Leicester and will involve players within 2 age categories, 12 to 16 years of age and adults over the age of 16. The Adults team will play in the FA National Blind Football League which takes place monthly at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford and the U16’s will attend development days with other Regional Centres.
Mary Rudkin, Football Development Officer at the County FA said “This is a fantastic opportunity for our County to be amongst the leaders in the development and provision of Blind Football. We are now able to offer a structured quality platform for all Blind football players that will give them all a chance to develop their football skills in the right environment. For those players who are partially sighted we also have Player Development Centres across the East Midlands, with the ability to signpost players to their nearest Centre of Excellence, which will be based at Derby County FC.”
John Ball, Head Coach for the FA England Blind Football Development Squad said “I am delighted that my home County has been awarded the right to run the East Midlands Region Blind Football Centre of Excellence. This will promote opportunities for youngsters and adults to play Blind Futsal, which is not only an International but also a Paralympic sport. Leicestershire has already helped to develop 6 players, two of whom are now training with the England Development Squad. The new Regional Centre of Excellence under the guidance of Head Coach David Eassom will help to develop new players who hopefully will go on to play in The FA National Blind Futsal League. Their aim then, will be selection for the England Squad and who knows one day they may represent England or Great Britain in European, World and Paralympic Championships".
The Leicestershire Blind Football Academy was developed in 2009 by volunteer members of the Inner City Club Football, Tausif Kadiri, Nadeem Patel and Tauseef Yusuf, who have contributed a tremendous amount to the development of the game over this time. The players involved have been training regularly over the last 2 years and their development has been a credit to the coaching staff. With the added support of the Leicestershire and Rutland County FA, last season saw the team entering the FA National Blind Football League where they were 1 of only 6 teams competing. The teams’ first competitive season saw them finishing a very proud 5th place, often competing against opposing teams involving current England and GB players.
If you are Blind or Partially sighted, or indeed you know of a person who falls into this group of players who would love to become involved in football, or if you would like to attend training days being held during September 2011, please contact:
Mary Rudkin at the Leicestershire and Rutland County FA
Telephone: 0116 2844952 Email: Mary.Rudkin@LeicestershireFA.com
www.LeicestershireFA.com/Development
Information on Blind Football
Blind football is a ‘5’ a side Futsal game and is played on a solid surface, indoors or outdoors, with a football containing bearings so that it makes a noise when it moves. Each team consists of five players, outfield players are classified as B1 Blind, which means that some may have some light perception, although eye shields are worn during games to counter this, goalkeepers are sighted, but cannot leave their goal area. The game is played with the spectators remaining silent to enable players to hear the ball and also the voices of coaching staff on the side line and behind the attacking goal, with the teams’ own goalkeeper, directing the defence.
Blind Football is also a Paralympic sport and the Great Britain team is hoping to gain a podium place and raise the profile of the game even further in the Paralympics in London 2012. In August 2010, the Royal National College in Hereford was the venue for the Blind World Championships, where players from around the world demonstrated their physical and tactical skills, which were awe inspiring. Blind football is a very skilful game, requiring an enormous amount of concentration from the players.
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