Helga has spotted a pigeon just outside the changing rooms at Poltonhall Sports Complex in Bonnyrigg and it suddenly becomes clear from her ears, tongue and tail that she would very much like to chase it. She is a good girl, she resists the exciting temptation, and stays true to her task. Helga, a three-year-old black labrador, is a guide dog, partnered with the England women’s blind football captain, Sam Gough, and the duo have important work to do.
Gough is preparing for the 2026 IBSA Women’s Blind Football European Championship, which gets under way in Istanbul on Saturday, full of confidence in her everyday life since partnering with Helga last year, a moment she says has been liberating. Helga’s changed that because I can get to camps by myself. I remember finding out about her, sitting in the nail salon getting my nails done and I got a phone call.
I just remember crying, I was so emotional. You wait for so long for this life-changing moment. When I got to 18, I wasn’t able to.
Then when I got Helga, one of the first things I did was go down to the local shops and get a pint of milk. Her sight gradually declined through her childhood and she now competes as a para athlete in the B1 blind classification; Helga is a regular in the dugout as she trains. A Scot, she is allowed to compete for England purely because Scotland does not have a women’s blind football team.
Nor do Wales, so the English team currently include players from across Britain. England’s captain since 2022, Gough is one of the best strikers in the world. Blind football is a five-a-side game, with all four outfield players wearing eye masks and spectators having to remain silent during play.
Players must shout “voy” before tackling and metal plates inside the ball create a rattling sound to help players locate it. That makes the ball heavy – “when you’re striking a ball, your big toe can get quite sore. My toenail is no longer existent because you’re hitting off a metal plate all the time!” Gough says, before explaining: “Balance is very, very, very important.
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