Highlights
- A Melbourne club, the only one in Victoria with an established Blind Football team
- South Melbourne FC is the newest addition in Australian Blind Football’s network of clubs
- The aim is to support development of players for representation of the state and Australia in competitions
The club’s expansion came within a partnership it kickstarted with Australian Blind Football, which operates under Blind Sports Australia, as the primary national pathway for blind and vision impaired players.
“Our club belongs to the community,” South Melbourne President Nick Maikousis tells SBS Greek.
“We have always advocated for aspirational football where any player or club has the potential to reach the top of the game both here in Australia and Internationally,” Mr Maikousis said in a statement.
The club, also known as South Melbourne Hellas, gained prominence in the ethnic soccer arena in Victoria, after being formed in the late ‘50s over two amalgamations of Greek clubs.
The establishment of the Blind Football team, says Mr Maikousis, is their newest move in “creating an all abilities opportunity” for athletes, following the launch of their Powerchair football team two years ago.
Of the two versions of the game – Vision impaired futsal and Blind football (B1) – the latter one is played at the Paralympics and Asian Championships
Currently, South Melbourne is the only club in Victoria partnering with Australian Blind Football to create a competitive league with a network of clubs across the country.
Mr Maikousis said they are looking forward to be at the forefront of the initiative providing a pool of players for representation both at national competitions and internationally.
“We must strive to do our best to promote soccer in Australia,” he says noting that some of their new squad’s members have in the past competed in the national team.
Amongst them is Captain of the Australian national Blind Football team, Amir Abdi, and Shae Skinner, the first female player to compete in the national team.
Having secured its base at Lakeside Stadium, the South Melbourne Blind Football will also be hosting open day sessions for community members from next year.
