Kochi poised to welcome first ever Blind Football Academy

In a positive step towards integrating differently abled individuals into sport, the city of Kochi will soon welcome the first ever football academy exclusively for blind people.This move has been supported by the Society for Rehabilitation of Visually Challenged (SRVC) and the Indian Blind Federation (IBFF).

Before the All India Invitational Blind Football Tournament, there will be an orientation camp held under the guidance of the SRVC and IBFF at Aluva Blind School Grounds. The objective will be to scout out potential talent from across the country. “Our aim is to start the academy to train and develop the best players to create a national team of world class standard. The players will be given vocational skill training in computers and foot reflexology to ensure a parallel source of income when they are not engaged in matches, especially for those who do not end up successfully in pursuing football as a profession,” said Sunil J Mathew, sporting director at IBFF. Mathew is one of the individuals who is in charge of promoting the blind football project. He is also the secretary of the SRVC.

“The aim will be to provide round-the-year training to players with nutritional diet and fitness training. Those who wish to pursue their studies will be allowed to do so during day time by securing a transfer to local schools or colleges. Our aim is to keep improve the game so as to qualify for the Paralympics by 2024,” said M C Roy, head of projects at the SRVC. The team has also worked closely with the Paralympic Committee of India to propagate blind football in the country. They even helped set up the first blind national football team, which is currently ranked 23rd in the world.

As of now, they are currently looking for sponsors and partners to aid in setting up the blind academy.