The rules

How it works

• Five players, rather than 11, make up a blind football squad – four blind players and a sighted goalkeeper.
• The ball contains loose ball-bearings so it rattles when it moves, allowing the players to locate it as they play.
• Players learn to keep the ball close, and perfectly controlled, as they dribble across the pitch, only letting it away from their feet when ready to pass to a team mate or take a shot.
• Concentration is everything because, as well as hearing the ball, they’re guided by the voices of other players as they pass the ball.
• The coaches play an important roles as well. During the game a coach will stand behind the attacking goal, directing the forward players,  another coach stands on the side-line and will instruct the midfield players, while the sighted goalkeeper will help organise his defence.
• During a penalty, the attaching coach will tap both the vertical posts and cross bar, so that the player will know where to place their penalty strike.
• Specially designed acoustic boards around the pitch create an echo that allows the players to determine their own position (by clicking their fingers) and to locate each other and the ball as it goes in and out of play.
• Importantly, all players must shout the word “voy” when in defensive situations. This allows the attaching player to determine the position of the defensive players on the field.