IBSA Blind Football is on its way to Porto in northern Portugal this weekend to help develop football for blind and partially sighted players in the country.

As part of the IBSA Blind Football Development Project Europe, an experienced international coach will travel to Portugal to work with local players in a series of training sessions and pass on his knowledge and expertise to local coaches.

IBSA Blind Football will also meet local stakeholders and potential partners to help them to build up a strong and sustainable local blind football programme.

The weekend has been organised in partnership with the Portuguese Sports Federation for People with Disabilities.

Portugal was one of the first countries to have a national blind football team. The team competed successfully in IBSA European Championships until 2005, then dropped off the international stage.

IBSA Blind Football hopes to lay the foundations for a revival of the game in the country, with a view to Portugal setting up a national team again and competing internationally.

The IBSA Blind Football Development Project Europe is run by the IBSA Football Committee thanks to financial support from UEFA.

For more information on the project contact [email protected].