Blind sports are played by many people who are blind or have low vision, but have you ever considered who referees the games?
Over the past 10 years, Sebastian Petrovic has become one of the most experienced blind soccer referees, taking part in competitions around the world. He has also been heavily involved with steadily improving the Australian blind soccer team.
The Vision Sports team recently sat down with Sebastian to talk all things blind soccer.
The difference between blind and sighted soccer
It’s one of the questions Sebastian gets asked the most – how does this game vary from the sighted variety familiar to many?
“It’s a shorter sized pitch but also the way the game is played is very structured, so that means there’s a lot more stoppages,” he said.
The smaller ground is divided up into thirds where defenders, midfielders and attackers are each located.
Communication between players and referees
Communication is the most vital aspect when refereeing. Sebastian explained that blind soccer referees must communicate flawlessly so everyone is safe and knows their location on the pitch, what is happening and where people should be.
“It’s quite particular when you’re trying to multi-task and let everyone know on the pitch what’s actually happened or what’s going to happen,” he said.
The Australian blind soccer team tour India
Last year, Australia’s first national blind soccer team had the opportunity to compete internationally, travelling to India. Sebastian said it was a positive experience for them.
Although they didn’t win the tournament, the high quality of opposition and challenging conditions made for a valuable learning experience for the team.
“It was more about getting themselves in a high intensity game, and making sure they learn the rules and learn how to play with one another,” Sebastian said.
Find out more
We’ve only just scratched the surface of what Sebastian had to tell the Vision Sports team about blind soccer.
To find out more including local competitions that people who are blind or have low vision are encouraged to join, the different vision categories currently available in Australia and lots more, check out the full interview with the Vision Sports team.
If you’re interested in sports more generally, be sure to tune into Vision Sports on Vision Australia Radio every Saturday at 10:30am.
