Dribbling past the darkness

On a green soccer pitch at Xinjiang Secondary Vocational School of Special Education in Changji Hui autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a group of teenagers gathers for daily training. In the golden light of autumn, their voices ring out across the field as they call to one another: "Wei Wei Wei (hey hey hey)!"

The phrase gives Xinjiang's first visually challenged soccer team its affectionate nickname. It is also an essential part of the game — a vocal signal that helps players locate teammates, avoid collisions and stay connected on the pitch.

In blind soccer, players wear opaque goggles throughout the match and locate the ball by listening for the bell inside it. Constantly calling out "Wei Wei Wei", they track one another's positions as they dribble, pass and shoot, navigating a game played without sight. Training is demanding. The teenagers sprint, collide, fall and get back up, learning to judge distances and feel their way around the pitch through repeated practice.

For young people with visual impairments, running at full speed can be daunting in everyday life. Here, within the boundaries of the enclosed pitch, they can run freely and fearlessly.

The team members have an average age of 18. Most of its core players are visually impaired teenagers from Yarkant County Special Education School in Kashgar, Xinjiang. They later transferred to Xinjiang Secondary Vocational School of Special Education to continue their education while receiving systematic soccer training.

In 2024, the team traveled to Fuzhou, Fujian province, to compete in the National Blind Football Championship. It was their first trip outside Xinjiang, and they finished ninth. A year later, they represented Xinjiang for the first time in the blind soccer competition at the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities, marking a breakthrough for the region.

Their progress continued this year, when the National Blind Football Championship was held in Korla, Xinjiang. The team finished fourth, achieving its best result to date. Without sight to guide them, the players rely on their hearing, teamwork and determination to pursue their soccer dreams. Every shout helps them find one another; every training session brings them closer to their goals.

"We cannot see the world, but we must strive to let the world see us." In a game guided by sound and trust, these young players are proving that the limits of vision need not define the reach of their ambitions.