An IBSA initiative in Switzerland was intended to get the ball rolling in the establishment of a national blind football team ©IBSA

Efforts to establish a Swiss national team in blind football have been launched with a series of training sessions organised in Delémont by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA).

The sessions conducted by an experienced blind football coach from Germany.

A number of awareness-raising activities also took place to bring the game to the local people.

In partnership with L'ASAP (Association Sportive pour les Aveugles et malvoyants dans la perspective des jeux Paralympiques) and IBSA-member organisation Plusport, the aim of the initiative is to help the sport expand nationally.

It is hoped that one day Switzerland's team being will be strong enough to compete in the Paralympic Games ©Getty Images
It is hoped that one day Switzerland's team being will be strong enough to compete in the Paralympic Games ©Getty Images

The ultimate goal is to recruit enough players to set up a Swiss team.

The recent activities kicked off with a constructive and productive meeting involving representatives from IBSA Blind Football, L'ASAP, Plusport and the Swiss Football Association to discuss a strategy and roadmap for future growth and development.

L'ASAP's blind football team has already been training for around a year now and is scheduled to play in friendly tournaments in France and Belgium over the next few weeks under the name Plusport L'ASAP.