Blind football and sporting capital: managing and sustaining participation among youth blind football players in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

Research question

The relationship between sporting capital and participation experiences in lower-middle income countries, such as Zimbabwe, especially amongst people with visual impairments, is hitherto unknown. This paper examines the participation experiences of Zimbabwean youth blind football players and asks how does the accumulation of sporting capital help in managing and sustaining participation in blind football?

Methods

The paper employs a mixed method approach and draws upon data from semi-structured interviews, participant observation, personal photographs, and the Sporting Capital Index questionnaire to analyse the sporting capital development of 14 youth blind football players from nine of Zimbabwe’s ten provinces.

Results and Findings

The players’ sporting capital domains were established early through a diversified range of formal participation in various sports, including goalball, athletics, and volleyball during primary school. Increased sporting capital highlighted transferability to different teams and environments to help manage and sustain participation in blind football. Sporting capital is increased by a varied sport offer, empathetic and skilled teachers and coaches, opportunities to develop independence and a strong peer network, for example, through having access to specialist equipment. Taken together, accumulated capital empowered players to surmount a range of barriers, helping them to sustain participation.

Implications

Findings will help stakeholders, including national blind sport federations, National Governing Bodies, National Paralympic Committees, educational institutions and blind football teams, among others, to develop management structures and educational programmes to help increase youth blind football players’ sporting capital and identify and manage negative incidents that might affect lifelong participation in blind football.

KEYWORDS:

• Blind football
• disability
• sporting capital
• visual impairment
• Zimbabwe

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).