Football 5-a-side, also known as blind football, is an adaptation of football for athletes with a vision impairment. It was included at the Paralympic Games at Athens 2004, and has been contested at every Games since. World Championships take place every four years in between the Paralympics.
Football 5-a-side teams are made up of four outfield players and one goalkeeper.
The duration of the match is 50 minutes, divided into two 25-minute halves. Each team can request a one-minute time-out in each half. During the last two minutes of both halves, and in case of an extra time, the timekeeper must stop the clock for a free kick, kick-in, goal kick and corner kick.
Each team goes on court with four outfield players who have a B1 classification and one goalkeeper who can be fully-sighted or visually impaired. Additionally, each team has a guide behind the opponent’s goal to direct the players when they shoot. Football 5-a-side is played on a rectangular field that measures 40m long and 20m wide. The whole length of the pitch must be covered by kickboards to prevent the ball from going out of play. The matches last 50 minutes with two halves of 25 minutes each and a 10-minute half time in between. The winning team is the one that scores the most goals during a match. The ball makes a noise due to a sound system allocated inside that helps plyers orientate themselves. As a result, spectators must remain silent whilst watching the game until a goal is scored. The athletes who are inside the field of play, with the exception of the goalkeeper, wear blindfolds or a mask to guarantee equality among the players.
Rules and Equipment
Documents:
| Vision Impairment |
Athletes with vision impairment have reduced, or no vision caused by damage to the eye structure, optical nerves or optical pathways, or visual cortex of the brain.
Outfield players must be classified as completely blind (B1), which means they have very low visual acuity and/or no light perception, whilst the goalkeeper must be sighted or partially sighted.
To ensure fair competition, all outfield players must wear eyeshades. Teams can also have off-field guides to assist them.
| B1 |
| • Athletes have a very low visual acuity and/or no light perception.
• Visual acuity is less than LogMAR 2.60 |
To be eligible to apply for a national classification, athletes must:
Athletes who do not meet the list of criteria above may still be evaluated by the classifiers by prior arrangement. However, he/she will only receive a provisional class in order to facilitate them to compete this year.
This list includes active athletes who have been classified at national and/or international level. Click here to access the Masterlist
Vision Sports Ireland is the National Governing Body for football 5-a-side in Ireland. If you wish to get involved in football 5-a-side, please access the National Governing Body link below.
| Governing Body | |
| National | Vision Sports Ireland |
| International | International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) |
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