Blind football in Merseyside needs a vital link with the clubs at the highest league level according to the organisation’s Chairman.

Steve Cushion says: “If we are to grow the game, we should have that link.”

This week’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities was nicely timed with the return of the Partially Sighted Football League. Merseyside V.I. FC are taking on teams from across the country at Lancaster University this weekend.

The club is the only one in the country with both a blind team and a visually impaired team.

Merseyside Blind FC
Merseyside Blind FC

Speaking to MerseySportLive Steven Cushion said:”It helps out obviously, financially to have that sort of support [from a club]. We do some sort of collective work with the Liverpool Foundation and Everton in the Community. But if we could have that little bit more sort of collaborative work with the two clubs moving forward.”

A German club model has long been admired in England and the UEFA licensed B coach admires their system: ”It would help to have that [link to clubs] and that’s what Brighton have done and that’s what Germany have done. Their model with FC St. Pauli etc. All their teams in the whole of their blind league are affiliated to clubs. So FC St. Pauli is just one of them. So it is a model that I think if we are to grow the game, we should have that link in.”

 

The side recently competed in the Masters tournament in Germany, playing against teams from Poland, Italy, France and the Czech Republic. The Merseysiders eventually ran out winners of the whole competition. The final result saw them beat F.C. St Pauli’s side 1-0 in October.

With the season resuming the club are looking to push on from recent wins: ”It’s massive. It’s always busy running the two teams being head coach for both but we’re in a good position. In the blind league we’re second in the league at the moment, which we’re pleased about and the partially sighted we won the league last year. So everyone will be trying to change that. So ya know, really looking forward to it.”

The manager has also hinted at new additions to help retain their title: ”We’ve got a couple of new players as well which probably younger players coming through some sort of 16, 17, and 18 years old so we’ve also evolved the squad a little bit as well. So yeah, we’re massively looking forward to the two leagues.”

Now, he says the club are aiming to make history: ”Our overall goal is at the end of the season to hopefully have the two teams in the FA disability Cup finals at St Georges Park in June. They hold national finals there for both blind and partially sighted as well as Deaf football, power chair and amputee football as well. So we’re hoping to have the two squads at those finals, which has never been done before. So that’s that’s what we’re hopefully trying to achieve this year.”

Merseyside is known as a football city the world over, and disability football has lofty ambitions: ”The area itself is football crazy. So it’s no different for any disability, but visually impaired and blind players should have the same opportunity. So I think it’s massively important that we have the team in the area. And we cover more or less the whole of the Northwest.”

Trophy Cabinet
Merseyside Blind have had a lot success recently

For the full interview follow the SoundCloud link below>>>

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR