Paralympic football consists of adaptations of the sport of

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...

for athletes with a physical disability. These sports are typically played using International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rules, with modifications to the field of play, equipment, numbers of players, and other rules as required to make the game suitable for the athletes The two most prominent versions of Paralympic football are 5-a-side football for athletes with visual impairments, and 7-a-side football for athletes with

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Blind football

5-a-side football Five-a-side football is a version of minifootball, in which each team fields five players (four outfield players and a goalkeeper). Other differences from football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals, and a reduced game duration. Matches are ...

, also known as futsal and blind football, is an adaptation of football for athletes with

visual impairment Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

s including

blindness Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

. The sport, governed by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), is played with modified FIFA rules. The field of play is smaller, and is surrounded by boards. Teams are reduced to five players, including the goalkeeper, per team. Teams may also use one guide, who is positioned off the field of play, to assist in directing players. The ball is equipped with a noise-making device to allow players to locate it by sound. Matches consist of two 20-minute halves, with a ten-minute break at half-time. Football 5 Parapan 2007 Final

Football 5-a-side players are assigned to one of three sport classes based on their level of visual impairment: * B1 - Totally or almost totally blind; from no light perception up to light perception but inability to recognise the shape of a hand. * B2 - Partially sighted; able to recognise the shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 2/60 or a visual field of less than 5 degrees. * B3 - Partially sighted; visual acuity from 2/60 to 6/60 or visual field from 5 to 20 degrees Teams are permitted to use sighted athletes as goalkeepers and guides; sighted goalkeepers cannot have been registered with FIFA for at least five years. Two types of competition exist. For Class B1 games, only athletes with sport class B1 are permitted as players, with the exception of the goalkeepers and the guides, who may be class B2, B3, or sighted. For Class B2/B3 games, teams can field players in sport classes B2 and B3; at least two B2 players must be on the field at all times. 5-a-side football in Europe was developed in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The first Spanish national championships took place in Spain in 1986. In South America, there are records of a Brazilian Tournament organized in 1980. European and American Championships took place in 1997, followed by the first World Championships in 1998. The sport was added to the Summer

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

in 2004.

IBSA Blind Football World Championships

; Men's B1 ; Men's B2/B3

Blind Football at the IBSA World Games

Men's B1 Men's B2/B3

IBSA Blind Football Asian Championships

Until 2017 only in Men's B1 (not Women's and not Men's B2/B3)

Blind Football at the Asian Para Games

Until 2014 only in Men's B1 (not Women's and not Men's B2/B3)

IBSA Blind Football European Championships

IBSA Blind Football American Championships

IBSA Blind Football African Championships

7-a-side football

7-a-side football is an adaptation of association football for

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-dev ...

s with

and other neurological disorders, including stroke and

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...

. The sport is governed by the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA). The sport is played with modified FIFA rules. Among the modifications are a reduced field of play, a reduction in the number of players, elimination of the offside rule, and permission for one-handed throw-ins. Matches consist of two thirty-minute halves, with a fifteen-minute half-time break. Players competing in 7-a-side football are given a sport class based on their level of disability. Eligible classes are: *C5: Athletes with difficulties when walking and running, but not in standing or when kicking the ball. *C6: Athletes with control and co-ordination problems of their upper limbs, especially when running. *C7: Athletes with hemiplegia. *C8: Minimally disabled athletes; they must meet eligibility criteria and have an obvious impairment that has impact on the sport of football. Teams must field at least one class C5 or C6 player at all times. No more than one players of class C8 are permitted to play at the same time. International competition in 7-a-side football began at the 1978 CP-ISRA International Games in

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. The sport was added to the Summer Paralympic Games at the

1984 Summer Paralympics The 1984 International Games for the Disabled, canonically the 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. There were two separate competitions: one in Stoke Mandeville, England, United Kingdom for wheelchair athletes ...

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, U.S., and has been played at every Summer Games until

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fro ...

World CP Football Championships

References

External links

International Blind Sport Federation - Football 5-a-side

International Paralympic Committee - Football 5-a-side

Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association - Football 7-a-side

International Paralympic Committee - Football 7-a-side

CPISRA Football 7-a-side World Championships 2007 Official site

news.bbc.co.uk - How blind football is played

Documentary about paralympic association football
{{IPC-recognised paralympic sports Football Association football variants