Empowering blind women through football

Fight for blind women’s right to play football

”Football for Blind Women” was created to transform the situation within Sports for the Blind in Brazil, where the male 5-a-side football is the best in the world and participates in several competitions throughout the year, whereas women don't have the opportunity to practice football at all.

As part of this project, Urece Sports and Culture for the Blind, an association from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has created the first female 5-a-side football team in Brazil, who became world champion in 2009, in Germany. They have organised workshops around Brazil, to develop this sport and to create other teams within the country. Football can help with mobility and autonomy, and raise self-esteem.

Fight prejudices against blind women
Our main goal is to have female 5-a-side football recognised as an official sport, being part of the summer Paralympic Games. This stage is quite far away, so at present the biggest issue to be tackled is the gender issues within this sport.

The programme started in 2009. The main goal is to organise the first Brazilian national championships, bringing together all the women who participated in the workshops to make an event to show the world that women can play any sport, and should have the right to play.

This situation is very hard to deal with. Even with the support of Marta, elected five times best football player in the world, these women are facing two challenges at the same time - the gender question and disability- and they really need help to change that.

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team.]