Irish Blind Football Team Travel to Poland

The Irish Blind Football Team will travel to Kraków, Poland, from 11th –13th September 2026 to take on the Polish national team in two international fixtures. 

The trip marks an important milestone for the development of blind football in Ireland and comes after several years of hard work from the players, coaching staff, volunteers and supporters involved in building the programme. 

Players from across Ireland have shown huge commitment to the team, regularly travelling to training sessions and working together to build a strong and competitive national squad. A major step forward for the programme has been securing a permanent training home through the support of Esker Celtic Football Club. Having a consistent home venue has given the team the opportunity to train regularly and prepare in an environment that supports the long-term growth of blind football in Ireland. 

The team is led by Republic of Ireland Blind Football Head Coach Alex Whelan, alongside a committed coaching staff team who have played a key role in developing the players and creating a strong team environment. The team that will travel has been named as:
Ciaran Allan (Goalkeeper), Anthony Clarke, Matthew Kearney, Lawrence Noonan, Ayaan Alam (Attackers), Cormac Flynn, Ruben Collins, John Doherty & Paul Costello (Defenders).

Ireland will play Poland at the Międzyszkolny Ośrodek Sportowy in Kraków, with the first match taking place on Saturday, 12th of September. 

Match Schedule 

• Saturday, 12th of September 2026 – 11:00
  Ireland v Poland 

• Sunday, 13th of September 2026 –09:00
  Ireland v Poland 

If you would like to follow along, check out Vision Sports Irelands social media channels where announcements, updates and team posts will be available. If you would like to get involved in playing bind football, please get in contact with Sean Polnd via email at sean.poland@visionsports.ie