England blind footballer targeting Paris 2024 alongside educational ambitions

Sporting passion is fuelling blind footballer Azeem Amir’s ambitions on and off the pitch.

As an England international, the 24-year-old is preparing for the International Blind Sports Federation World Games in Birmingham in August and hopes to be lining up at the Paralympics in Paris next year.

Away from the training and match action, Rochdale-based Amir is putting his talents to further good use by running his own disability awareness programme.

Launched two years ago, Learn With ESS (Education, Sport and Speaking) provides interactive sessions for schools, colleges, businesses and sports clubs to help people gain a better understanding of disability in a fun and engaging way.

Amir fronts workshops, delivering inspirational talks and organising games, with footballs, blindfolds and other props never far away.

“I came up with this idea about giving people a better understanding of disability in a more practical way, through workshops, through an immersive experience,” Amir told the PA news agency.

“We use those three elements, education, sport and speaking, to deliver a really practical programme and hopefully one that people come away from with a better understanding of, not just a disability, but having had a challenge.

“It’s just over two years since the idea was on a piece of paper. To think of where we’ve got to now it’s huge.

“I really hope that it grows and we get to work with more groups, come up with more ideas and innovate as we learn, and we go on in our journey, not just delivering to people but also figuring out what society needs to be better educated on.”

Learn With ESS, which has both a business and a charitable element, has grown considerably and Amir finds himself with a busy schedule into which he must fit his own football.

A midfielder for Merseyside Blind FC, Amir trains up to seven times a week with coaches either on his game or on his fitness.

With the domestic season over, the main focus now is on international football with Amir last week named in the England squad for the IBSA World Games. With Paris 2024 qualification spots up for grabs, the excitement is building.

“Fingers crossed we can make it happen,” said Amir, a Manchester United fan. “That’d be unbelievable.

“There’s been a big push over the last few months. We’ve been to Brazil, to France, to Romania, playing different tournaments, having training camps, just to prep ourselves in readiness for the Paralympic Games qualifiers.

“I just hope that we get some luck and with a bit of hard work and graft we can make it happen.

“I love football, I really do. There’s no buzz I can think of that replicates it.

“But I don’t want to get hung up on the outcome. You want to make sure you enjoy every single minute, whether that’s training locally or representing your country in the crunch moments.”

Amir admits juggling his twin devotions can be difficult but, ultimately, it is highly rewarding.

“It’s a challenge but I’ve got a good family network, good support,” he said. “I feel like I’m adding something to the world. I’ve got good people and I enjoy what I do. There’s nothing better than that.”