5 Ways to Get Into Accessible Sport for Blind and Partially Sighted People
Sport is about so much more than getting fit or staying healthy. It's also about social interaction and camaraderie. And it's just as important, if not more so, for blind and partially sighted people to have sporting opportunities as their sighted peers.
Whether you've been inspired by the Paralympics or feel the call of the spring sunshine to get out and get active, there are plenty of ways to find the right accessible sport for you.
1. Blind Football
Whether you can bend it like Beckham or want to enjoy a kickabout with your Sunday squad, getting into blind football has never been easier. Based on futsal, it's a five-a-side game with four totally blind players and a sighted goalkeeper. The blind outfield players all wear eye masks to ensure a level playing field and the ball contains bells so that it can be located during play.
It's played on a 40 metre by 20 metre pitch with boards down the sides so the ball can't run out of play, and the goals measure two by three metres.
Another difference with sighted football is players announcing themselves with "Voy" before a tackle.
If your local football club doesn't offer blind football opportunities, you can contact your local FA for support in finding an appropriate club. Alternatively, go to everybodymoves.org.uk to find the nearest club or training opportunity for you.
Browse our audible footballs and Blind football start up kit.
2. Running with a Guide
Running using a tether and a guide runner is a great way to get moving. The tether – a length of strong, yellow cotton with loops for hands at each end – is a useful way to let people around you know that you have sight loss.
It also allows your guide runner to communicate direction non-verbally and make you aware of hazards, such as puddles, lampposts, other runners, and pedestrians.
Marathon runner Susan Angus-Mellor, who has no vision in her right eye and very limited vision in her left eye, uses a tether to run with her guide Jo Turner. She says, "I would encourage anybody with a sight loss who wants to take up running to use the tether, because I never thought I would be running a marathon, or running a Great North Run, or participating in competitions. Using a tether and running with a guide has really improved and enhanced my confidence.
"It's made me realise that I can achieve something if I put my mind to it. And I think when you're using a tool like a tether, it creates a better relationship between you and your guide. There's lots of park runs and I'm sure there's lots of guide runners out there who'd be happy and willing to support somebody who wants to take on something like that."
Find a Guide can help you find a licensed guide runner near you. Created by England Athletics and British Blind Sport, the database is full of friendly guide runners who have all attended a Sight Loss Awareness and Guide Running workshop. They are also DBS checked, passionate about running and are waiting to help support you whether it's your first time running or you're a seasoned runner just looking for more support.
3. Blind Cricket
If you're a lover of the sound of leather on willow, blind cricket might be the sport for you. The game started as a means of recreation for injured servicemen coming home from World War Two and is still going strong nearly a century later, with cup, league and Twenty20 competitions, as well as national squads.
All blind cricket players must be registered blind or partially sighted, and of the eleven players in any team, at least four must be totally blind.
The main difference between standard cricket and blind cricket is the ball. A size three football is used in UK Blind Cricket to help the partially sighted players to see it, and it contains ball bearings to allow the totally blind players to hear it. Other adaptations to the MCC laws of cricket include a larger wicket, the bowler checking the batsman is ready before he begins his run-up and shouting "Play" as he releases the ball, and a totally blind batsman cannot be stumped.
Audible cricket balls, made of strong, hard plastic and containing ball bearings, can also be used and double up as balls for baseball, rounders and catch.
New players interested in the game can contact Blind Cricket England & Wales for more information or use British Blind Sport's online tool to find a club near them.
4. Getting Started at Home
Encourage children with a vision impairment to enjoy sports with balls designed especially for them. Foam bell balls are ideal for catching and throwing games, and can be used by beginners learning Goalball. These robust, soft, low-bounce balls have bells inside to make them easier to locate and are a great way to develop listening and spatial awareness skills.
Blind tennis balls are suitable for catching and throwing games as well as tennis. Made of strong yellow foam, they have a jingling ball inside them to make them easy to locate during play.
The bright and colourful rubber Butterfly bell ball is larger (size 5) and makes a pleasant jingling sound. This soft, light, and flexible ball is ideal for multiple kinds of indoor play and sports and can also be used for play in swimming pools.
5. Find a Local Club
If you're interested in a sport not mentioned here, or don't know which sport you'd like to try, British Blind Sport's Activity Finder is an easy way to find sports and activities near you. You can choose a sport, or 'any sport or activity' and set the distance from your postcode that you can travel to find potential opportunities.
You can also find events in your area, including 'Have a Go' days, and use its A to Z of sports to research sports that interest you.
