Links to:
Canada Women’s National Blind Team
Canada Men’s National Blind Team
A growing library of blind soccer videos and documentaries can be found at the bottom of this page.
Blind soccer was introduced to Canada in 2013 as part of the 2015 Parapan Am Games promotion. Ironically it was the only sport that Canada did not enter a team in to compete. As a result of that promotion and then the subsequent legacy an estimated 1800 people (children, teachers, players, coaches and community leaders) have now experienced blind soccer. The legacy of those 2015 Games were approximately 40 audible balls, 20 eye shades, kick boards and official size goals. While the balls and eye shades have long been distributed to the blind community the kick boards and goals have been used in multiple games across Ontario.
History of Blind Soccer in Canada
2013 Ontario Soccer Association partners with Ontario Blind Sport Association to deliver ‘Come and Try’ sessions in the York Region, Ottawa and Simcoe County
2015 Toronto hosted the Parapan Am Games where blind soccer was the only sport that did NOT have Canadian representation. The final saw the world #1 Brazil beat the world #2 Argentina in a great final at the U of T St George Campus.
2016 as part of the 2015 Games legacy it was now possible to host demonstration events with the official rebound boards needed for blind soccer and 60 balls from the games were distributed through OBSA to local schools and soccer clubs.
2017 The OBSA ‘Come and Try’ sessions continued to evolve with Soccability Canada now the lead partner. It was estimated that by the end of 2017 almost 1,200 students, teachers, coaches, community leaders and parents has experienced a blind soccer session.
2017 saw the introduction of blind soccer to the Ontario Winter Para Sport Games in Brantford. Kitchener SC and Ottawa Blind Soccer competed)
2019 saw further growth with Pickering FC hosting the event in 2019 and competing against Kitchener SC and Ottawa Blind Soccer.
2022 the Games were hosted in Mississauga (delayed 1 year due to the pandemic) and North Mississauga SC beat Pickering FC to take Gold.
2022 Soccability Canada and OBSA hosted the first ever residential course for blind soccer at the CNIB Lake Joseph facility. 10 players, 15 coaches and 3 match officials were able to experience a holistic immersion into the sport.
2023 the Games were hosted in Oshawa and saw NMSC repeat their success of the previous year.
2023 Soccability Canada with the blessing of Canada Soccer took the first ever national blind soccer team comprised of 4 males and 2 females to compete against the USA in Chula Vista, California. This was the first time either nation had competed internationally. Despite losing both games, 0-1 and 0-3 the Canadian team put on a passionate showing and performed well without three of our best players.
Where to now?
Establish a blind soccer committee for Development and Technical areas.
Establish teams for the 2025 Ontario ParaSport Games out of London and Ottawa.
Build a schedule of regular competition each Summer and Winter. Become the sport of choice for blind and/or visually impaired people in Ontario.
Ontario has become a hub for blind soccer in Canada, although programs have previously existed in Quebec. Club programs currently exist at Pickering FC, North Mississauga SC, London Whitecaps FC and a new program in Ottawa. Clubs interested in starting a program can contact inquiries@soccabillity.ca.
Sponsorship opportunities include team jerseys and events. Probably our greatest asset is the sponsorship of the custom built kick boards that run alongside the two lengths of the field. Sponsorship can be provided to just one kickboard or the complete set. Contact inquiries@soccability.ca
In 2017 the Ontario Government first included blind soccer as part of the Ontario Parasport Games:
2017 Brantford, Ontario
Gold Medal: Shared between Kitchener SC and Ottawa Blind Soccer
3 head-to-head games ended in 0-0 scorelines
2019 Durham Region, Ontario
Gold: Kitchener SC
Silver: Pickering FC
Bronze: Ottawa Blind Soccer
2021 Mississauga, Ontario (May, 2022)
Gold: North Mississauga SC
Silver: Pickering FC
2023 Durham Region, Ontario
February 3-5th, 2023 (Oshawa Civic Arena)
Gold: North Mississauga Soccer Club
Silver: Pickering Football Club
Blind soccer is regarded as one of the Paralympic Games most popular sports and played by 46 countries at international level. Blind soccer has the power to demonstrate the impact sport has from a myriad of angles -as an individual and as a society. Every session reinforces the power of football for good and that football is for everyone.
From Ontario:
Blind Soccer in Ontario with National Campus and Community Radio
Durham Life interview with Ramya Amuthan about blind soccer
Ottawa story from AMI
Ottawa Fury players on CBC
2019 Parasport Games from Pickering
Pickering Soccer Club with Global News
From Argentina:
Meet the National Team
From India:
The Blind Footballers of India documentary
From the USA:
USABA Camp at Maryland School for the Blind
From Australia:
Melbourne Blind Soccer program
From Germany:
‘Voy’ – a documentary
From the United Kingdom:
David Beckham tries blind soccer with England National Team
CTRL trains with England Blind National Team
From Brazil
New York Times article
From Czech Republic:
Budovice Cup 2013 documentary
From Malaysia:
Highlights at ASEAN Para Games
From Japan:
Blind Soccer sponsor Sansan
Anime story ‘Who is your hero?’
From Spain:
Barcelona FC try penalties with Spanish Paralympic team
From Italy:
Blind Football: A special day at AC Milan
Blind Soccer Classification with Canadian Blind Sport Association
Soccability Canada 