Edinburg student Kaleb Spiker to play in Blind Soccer match at VSDB
Blind Soccer Tournament to be held at The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind
Staunton, VA- The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) is preparing for its 2022-2023 5-a-side Blind Soccer season. After time off from Covid-19, the team is excited to once again be back on the pitch. The team was able to play against the Maryland School for the Blind in the fall of 2019 for the first ever youth blind soccer match. The second meeting was on October 6, 2022 at 1:30pm on the new turf pitch.
One of the many players who participated in the game was Kaleb Spiker of Edinburg, Texas.
VSDB won 1-0 against the Maryland Bees from Maryland School for the Blind. VSDB will travel to Maryland on 10/20 for their next match.
As only one of two youth blind soccer teams in the U.S., VSDB worked with ITAC Harlowe Land Management, McGill Compost, Smith Turf and Irrigation, Luck Ecosystems, and Riverside Turf to create the only international level Blind Soccer pitch for youth in the U.S. To date there is only one other international level pitch in the U.S. These firms contributed over $35,000 in goods and services to make this field of dreams possible.
The sport is in a grassroots phase of development as the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes (USABA) works to develop a national team for the LA 2028 games. Blind soccer, also known as 5-a-side soccer or football 5-a-side, is an adaptation of soccer for athletes with a visual impairment. Blind soccer debuted at the Athens 2004 Paralympics and has been contested at every Games since and has become the fastest-growing Paralympic sport in the world. Over 60 countries around the world play on the International Football 5-a-side circuit.
In June 2022, VSDB partnered with Clemson University’s Adaptive Soccer Program, USABA, and two other organizations for the first U.S. Blind Soccer Coaching Summit held at VSDB. Over 30 participants from 18 states joined us for two days to learn the rules and play of this exciting sport. The unique aspect of this sport is that it can bring communities together by allowing inclusive soccer. Sighted players can play in a pick-up game with visually-impaired players on the playground and families can play together. It is exciting to watch how this sport brings people together!
Recent Comments