Kansas City calls itself the “Soccer Capital of the Nation,” and that nickname was further enhanced Friday afternoon with the dedication of the Midwest's first blind soccer field in Kansas City, Kansas.
Local dignitaries cut the ribbon behind the goal area on the pitch at the Kansas State School for the Blind on State Avenue, west of downtown KCK. The Victory Project, the philanthropic arm of Kansas City's Major League Soccer team, Sporting Kansas City, provided $32,000 to move forward with construction of the field, which began last year.
KSSB Superintendent John Harding said at the dedication ceremony, “Kansas City is a soccer paradise, and this field allows our students to be a part of that vibrant energy.” Ta.
Ricardo Castaneda, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, also just announced this week that he has been selected to the National Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired National Team. The United States will form its first-ever Olympic blind soccer team for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
About eight years ago, a few months after he was completely blinded by the rare genetic disease Pers planitus at the age of 15, Castaneda spent his summers and part of the school year at a camp in the Kansas City area. Ta.
He was trying to find a way to move forward and tried several different sports and activities.
“Literally anything to distract me from what I was going through at the time,” Castaneda said.
Before losing his eyesight, Castaneda loved soccer and worked hard to become good at blind soccer. It's a long road from high school blind soccer to the national team, but facilities like KSSB are important for the visually impaired, Castaneda said.
“Kansas School for the Blind provides incredible opportunities for people with disabilities,” Castaneda said.
KSSB has already contacted Kansas residents who may be interested in playing at the new field.
Last November, two KSSB instructors conducted a clinic for 11 visually impaired students, ages 11 to 16, at an indoor soccer facility outside Manhattan, Kansas. They came from as far away as Winfield, Kansas.
“My goal is to expand our efforts not just in Kansas City, but throughout the state, recruiting and educating athletes,” said Leah Enright, KSSB's visually impaired sports coordinator. He himself is not visually impaired.
Each team consists of five players, including the goalkeeper. The keeper has visual impairments, but unlike his teammates, he is not completely blind.
Enright and KSSB adaptive physical education teacher Nicole Drake explained the rules of blind soccer to children at last year's clinic, including how the goalie acts as an on-field coach.
“If I was a goalkeeper and I was trying to direct the defense to stop the ball from coming towards me, I would use instructions like, 'Move left, move right. , go forward, come back', scoot, come towards my voice,'' Drake instructed. “Your goalie is very important on the field.”
Two coaches who were not on the field were also giving similar instructions.
As a defensive technique, blind soccer players hustle towards the ball with one arm outstretched and the other arm akimbo. Both hands are palms facing outward to prevent players from running into each other's bodies or making head contact.
If a defender chases the ball, that player must shout “Boi!”
“Voi is a universal name that means 'I'm going' or 'I'm going,' because it's played all over the world,” Drake said.
If a player does not call voy, he or she may be penalized.
An important skill for blind soccer players is not only the coach and instructions, but also the ball inside the ball, which makes a sound when it rolls.
And now they will have the region's first field where they can hone those skills.
