Who Says You Have to See the Ball

By Muhammad Waheed (via Baltimore Watchdog)

Tim Utzig, a 19-year-old sophomore at Towson University, has memories of playing indoor and outdoor soccer with friends when he was a child. He said that one of his best memories was scoring six goals in one game while playing for a travel team.

Utzig’s time playing soccer decreased as he became visually impaired during the summer prior to his seventh-grade year. Utzig said he has Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy and only played indoor soccer after his eyesight diminished because the league he played in was accommodating because it used a different color soccer ball.

Blind athletes such as Utzig could soon have a chance to experience blind soccer as The Maryland School for the Blind will host the North American Blind Soccer Development Camp between June 25 and June 29.

Blind soccer is played on a 60-foot-long by 40-foot wide field that has barriers on its sides preventing the athletes and ball from going out of bounds, said Kevin Brousard, membership and outreach coordinator for the United States Association of Blind Athletes. Brousard said that there are 10 players on the field at once with each team having five athletes.

Continue reading on baltimorewatchdog.com.

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