Blind students gain confidence on the pitch

Liu Zhan, 14, joined the team out of interest last semester. Partially sighted with blurred vision, he has to wear a blindfold to the field. "To face complete darkness is the biggest challenge," he said. "I feel that I have grown taller and stronger after playing soccer."

Chen Binting, also 14, thinks soccer is "cool", and she began to play when she was 12.

At first, she was afraid of running, so the coach would run with her. Gradually, she got used to running in the dark with a ball. She is also learning to dance at school.

"I was very shy before, but I've become more outgoing," she said. "I want to go to high school and university, and be a dance teacher."

Lan Tingyi, principal of the school, said that some students have left the team, but most have stayed because playing soccer allows them to feel the joy of running.

Before joining the team, some students were afraid of walking into things.

"The purpose is not to make them soccer players, but to make them happy and give them confidence,"Lan said. "Though most will not be able to make a living playing soccer in the future, they are healthier and can walk better."

Since it was founded in 2005, the team has taken part in matches nationwide, as well as in South Korea, Spain, Greece and Japan. Three former members took part in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. The school has a sports and art talent fund to support soccer fans.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.