Delaware coach aims to start soccer program for visually impaired players

Twenty years ago, John Weaver would have never imagined he would be a coach for special needs soccer. In fact, when he was first asked to step into his current role, he declined.

Despite his doubts, he became director of the Outreach Program for Soccer at the Delaware Youth Soccer Association where he now coaches soccer players with intellectual, emotional and physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism and hearing impairment.

This spring, he saw the opportunity to add to his coaching arsenal and offer better opportunities to soccer players with vision impairment.

“What I’ve learned about this program is that I get more out of it than the players do,” Weaver said. "If I had known back then what I know now, the first time I was asked, I would have said yes.”

Weaver attended the inaugural USA Blind Soccer Coaching Education Summit on June 22 in Staunton, Virginia. There, he joined 25 coaches in a two-day training program designed to teach them about blind soccer and how to integrate the sport into their organizations.

Clemson University Adaptive Soccer Program, Maryland School for the Blind, the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, and the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes collaborated to host the summit. Throughout the program, Weaver learned coaching strategies specific for visually impaired players, along with information on how to start a blind soccer program.

He also played a soccer game with the other coaches while wearing a blackout mask to help him gain the perspective of unsighted players.

Blind soccer is currently the fastest-growing Paralympic sport in the world, and since its debut in the 2004 Paralympics, it has spread to over 60 countries. The sport is similar to traditional soccer but has some key differences that cater to unsighted athletes.

The ball contains a device that makes a rattling noise and allows players to locate it, and sideboards enclose the pitch to prevent the ball from going out of bounds. Players are allowed to have guides, who can shout instructions from the sidelines, and goalkeepers can be sighted players. All other players must wear blackout masks to maintain an even playing field. The soccer pitch is also much smaller; approximately 43 yards by 21 yards compared with a traditional 125 yards by 75 yards field.

There are stark technique differences that unsighted soccer players must use. They must keep the ball close while dribbling in order to maintain control.

In the past, the special needs soccer program where Weaver coaches has included an hourlong training session held once a week and broken into 15-minute increments in order to cater to the short attention spans of some of its participants.

Each player is paired up with a volunteer coaching buddy from local youth soccer clubs and participates in soccer drills and a competitive game at the end of each session.

Weaver, who directs each session, has coached a handful of unsighted players in the past, but the program didn’t exactly fit the needs of a player with vision impairment, as the majority of their participants are sighted.

Now that Weaver has the knowledge he gained from the National Blind Soccer Coaching Education Summit, he wants to create a program specifically geared toward unsighted players.

His first step is to get the word out to individuals in the Delaware community with vision impairment and gather a group of players. Weaver will also need to find a facility that could host such a program.

Most other coaches at the National Blind Soccer Coaching Education Summit came from schools for the blind, where they could easily raise awareness and gather participants for a new blind soccer program.

For Weaver, finding unsighted players will be a difficult but necessary task.

“What I resolved was, to find ways to get the word out to programs that assist parents with players who have visual impairments,” he said. “So they will know that the program will help them, that we can teach skills, and we know what we're doing.”

With a program created specifically for unsighted players, individuals with vision impairment will have the chance to learn and compete in a fair competitive environment and trust that the instruction they receive will be professional, and designed just for them.

Weaver has some obstacles to overcome before a blind soccer program will be up and running in Delaware, but he is determined to give all children the chance to play the sport, regardless of their disabilities.

Contact Siera Jones at SLJones@delawareonline.com and follow on her Twitter @sieraajones. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware coach creating opportunities for visually impaired players