Members of the United States Paralympic Blind Soccer team — who all wear eyeshades to level the playing field, for those who aren’t completely blind — being coached by Katie Smith. Credit: Courtesy of the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes
When Katie Smith encountered soccer as a child, she didn’t know the sport would eventually become her life’s work.
Smith — a Ph.D. candidate in Ohio State’s teaching and learning program, specializing in visual impairments and adapted physical education — is the first-ever U.S. Blind Soccer Men’s National Team head coach. Tiffany Wild, an associate professor in Ohio State’s Department of Teaching and Learning, said Smith’s work to advance blind and visually impaired soccer within and outside of Columbus contributes to greater accessibility in sports.
“When you think of lifelong wellness, activity is key,” Smith said. “Bringing this sport to the blind and visually impaired in the United States is allowing for opportunities in that.”
Smith said blind and visually impaired soccer resembles soccer for sighted individuals, with only a few distinct tweaks.
The most important factor is the ball, which contains bells that rattle, Smith said. The field is a little smaller, equipped with side boards to help with players’ spatial orientation.
Although the game is physical and fast-paced, players avoid too many collisions by shouting “voy” — which means “I’m coming” in Spanish — when approaching their opponents, a process facilitated by sighted goalies and guides.
Throughout all of this, Smith remains on the sideline, guiding her players verbally.
“It’s a pretty noisy game,” Smith said. “There’s three different guides on the field, so that extra communication and verbal cues makes it pretty intense.”
Before Smith signed on with the U.S. Blind Soccer Men’s National Team in October 2022, she established Ohio Blind Soccer, a Columbus-based soccer team that adapts the sport for blind and visually impaired athletes.
This all started in 2018 when Smith was working within the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s Therapeutic Recreation program. Smith said she immediately noticed there weren’t many adaptive sports for people who were blind or visually impaired.
That same year, Smith attended a coaching clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes. She said learning about the fundamentals of blind soccer and seeing just how impactful the sport can be firsthand was life-changing.
“I took what I learned at that camp and ran with it,” Smith said. “I brought an introductory-like event and ‘try-it’ clinic to Columbus, and it grew from there.”
Even before she was introduced to blind soccer specifically, Smith said she began volunteering with the Ohio School for the Blind around 2017. While there, she frequently crossed paths with Wild, who also works with the school.
“What I saw in her was her passion,” Wild, also an Ohio State alum, said. “Her drive and determination to promote independence for the blind and visually impaired blew me away. She doesn’t hold back.”
After witnessing Smith’s skill set develop over time, Wild said she encouraged her to apply for Ohio State’s Ph.D. program in visual impairment leading up to 2020.
Just like Wild, the Association of Blind Athletes observed Smith’s work ethic and reached out to her about helping with camps and clinics around the country. Eventually, Smith said the association asked her to apply for the U.S. Blind Soccer Men’s National Team’s head coach position.
To no one’s surprise, except maybe her own, Smith got the gig.
“We named the first national team in October of 2022,” Smith said. “It’s been an absolutely wild ride.”
Smith’s ambitions don’t end with her coaching appointment. The team claiming a medal at the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles is her present goal, she said.
“It’s gonna take some work to get there,” Smith said. “But I’m so excited that my journey will become a part of the sport’s history.”
Wild said she looks forward to seeing what Smith and the team will accomplish at the national scale.
“I anticipate that when we get closer to the Paralympics, this will get national attention,” Wild said. “That’s partly in thanks to Katie. She’s coaching and doing all of this while still pursuing a doctoral degree.”
At the end of the day, Wild said blind soccer’s continued growth and popularization means more athletes with disabilities can receive the recognition they deserve.
“Bottom line, what Katie is doing is helping to provide life-changing opportunities,” Wild said.
