IBSA's football boost for the blind

UEFA has established partnerships with a carefully selected group of organisations as part of its Football for All Abilities portfolio, which fosters the use of football as a tool for broadening the inclusion of players of all abilities, as well as marginalised or excluded groups.

The comprehensive programme has given each participating organisation the opportunity to develop long-term activities and set ambitious targets – and the organisations themselves have been instrumental in helping people fulfil sporting dreams. The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), working on behalf of blind or partially sighted athletes, is a perfect example of the merits of this partnership.

IBSA offers a broad palette of sporting disciplines for visually impaired athletes. In the football sector, these include two types of futsal – for totally blind players (B1) and for athletes who are partially sighted (B2/B3). The futsal laws of the game have been adapted to help blind or visually impaired footballers to make the most of the chance to play and experience the joy of football. The B1 ball has a special sound system inside, boards run along the pitch to keep the ball in play, and the teams, comprising four players, have guides to advise them during matches.

UEFA and IBSA began their partnership in earnest in 2006, when the latter was awarded UEFA's CHF1m charity cheque. Consequently, IBSA's Futsal Development Project Europe staged seminars across the continent to educate hundreds of coaches and referees about blind futsal. They received basic training from IBSA-accredited coaches and referees in working with blind players, the tactics and rules of the game.

"UEFA's support has opened doors," says European project coordinator David Stirton. "UEFA is a name that is recognised worldwide; UEFA has a good reputation and its name lends us credibility. The support has helped us in many areas, and we are very grateful for it."

IBSA encourages friendship among blind athletes, and motivates blind people to take up regular sporting activities; it disseminates ideas on both competition and recreational sport for the blind; and plans, promotes and coordinates international activities stimulating development of sports programmes for the blind in its member countries. Its mission fits UEFA's portfolio requirement, in particular through the promotion of social inclusion. "There can be low-esteem and low self-confidence among people with a disability," says Stirton. "Sport helps overcome this. There is a feeling of camaraderie at being part of a team, and having the opportunity to play alongside your friends."

The sense of sporting achievement and pride that a footballer who is blind or partially sighted can feel is endorsed by Alexander Fangmann, captain of the German national team and an eager participant in the IBSA Blind Football World Championships in Tokyo later this year.

"I lost my sight at the age of eight," the 29-year-old said. "Before then, I played football like every child. Afterwards, I didn't lose this enthusiasm for football, I always stayed with the game." Fangmann is completing studies in Tübingen, near Stuttgart. "I did fitness training, but no team sports," he reflected. "I found out about blind football on the internet, went to a seminar during the 2006 [FIFA] World Cup, and it started from there. I didn't know what to expect, whether I would play well with other blind people, but there was no problem."

Fangmann and colleagues who attended that seminar came home with a wealth of ideas, and the result has been a German national championship and a national team good enough to be competing for a world title. "We're naturally very proud, it's a great achievement," he reflected. Having overcome the loss of his sight to forge a football career, Fangmann has no hesitation in telling those who might want to take up the game to "just try". He also emphasised the inclusion and friendship aspect: "There's a great feeling when you're in a team and you win!"

"The backing that IBSA receives from UEFA is by far the highest level of support for us from an external organisation," David Stirton explained, and emphasised that the initial projects run with UEFA are now bearing handsome fruit. "After receiving the UEFA charity award the series of seminars in various countries were very successful; 438 participants from 39 different countries took part.

"In a lot of countries who attended those seminars, the coaches and referees went home and launched their own local programmes. Countries are now developing to such an extent that they are ready to set up national teams and compete internationally.

"UEFA is very keen for us to work at grassroots level, so we are now also looking at 'emerging' European countries in this sector. We have organised a development tournament for them this summer, and we're trying to help them to the next level, where they will hopefully be able to compete internationally in a couple of years or so.

"The projects that we are running with UEFA can be an example and role model for development in other parts of the world," Stirton concluded. "We would like to try and replicate the projects in Africa, South and Central America, and in parts of Asia. There is huge potential for growth and development."

IBSA's work is exemplary in bringing pleasure and achievement to sportsmen and women. UEFA is happy that its partner is doing an outstanding job in a most worthwhile sector of the game.