New blind football team scores with funding boost

Blind footballer Nathan Edge with his faithful former guide dog, Hudson.

Nathan Edge founded the blind team at the start of the season, with help from his beloved Mansfield Town, and is already making excellent progress.

Now he has been chosen for the donation as one of 50 local athletes identified for ‘Time To Shine’ funding from the Nottingham Building Society, in conjunction with the charity, SportsAid.

The 24-year-old Edge said: “The new team is going better than I expected. We’ve already got a 14-year-old lad who has joined us, and two other players are coming to a training session.

“It’s great to see people come and give it a go. We hope to build a team that goes into a league in the future.”

Capped five times by England at the 2017 Blind Football European Championships, Edge took a break from the game last season.

But he has made a successful return this term with club side, RNC Leicester Foxes, and is working towards another international call-up.

“I’m feeling very fresh and trying to build up my strength,” he said. “My goal is to get back in the England set-up.”

Nottingham Building Society has teamed up with SportsAid to help future stars get their time to shine. Visit thenottingham.com to find out more.