NY Fidi Lions Club Blind Sports League 

There are an estimated 52,000 school-age children who are  blind or visually impaired in the United States; nearly 70 percent do not participate in even a limited physical education curriculum. 

The NY Fidi Lions Club Blind Sports League was formed in early spring of 2019,  as a branch of the Financial District Lions Club.  Its members are blind and visual impaired man and woman who play a variety of sports: Hockey, Outrigging, Running, Biking, Hiking, Beep Ball, and the Adaptive Baseball for the Blind invented in Italy (Not the Beep Ball).  

THE MISSION

The Mission of the NY FiDi Lions Sport League,  is to motivate and teach vision impaired children and adults  to practice sports, so that they can enjoy the same freedom of independent movement and skills that any sighter person enjoy and at the same time imrpove their health. 

THE BENEFIT 

The positive effects of participation in sports for a blind and partially sighed person, irrespective of the ability or experience to run freely without fear,  and improve their health cannot be underestimated. It can also be a gateway to social inclusion, increased confidence and self-esteem - getting out and about safely enables them to participate fully in their communities,  live the life they choose, and strengthening both social and motor skills.

FISHING COMPETITION

In May 2019  two of the NY FiDi Lions Members, Alex Barrera and Eris Skander went to a fishing expedition at Finger Lakes sponsored by the Financial District Lions Club.  The intention is to prepare Five of their members to compete in 2020 at International Fishing Competition. 

NY LIONS BLIND BASEBALL "NY LIONS BB" (NOT BEEP BALL)

We call upon volunteers to get involved and give the Gift of Time.  

We welcome corporations to partner and sponsors.    We need retired Coaches to give your time once a week to help the team practice indoors and outdoors.   Practices are scheduled once a week in the evening or weekends. 

NEW YORK LIONS ADAPTED BASEBALL FOR THE BLIND  
"NY  LIONS BB"

The NY Lions BB (not to be confused with Beep Ball or NY Rockers), was formed in New York, by a group of blind and visual impaired men and women of the NY FiDi Lions Blind Sports League, a Branch of the New York Financial District Lions Club-D20-R2, to play the Adaptive Baseball for the Blind invented in Italy, under the directive of the Italian Blind Baseball Association "AIBXC" and "LIBCI" out of Bologna, Italy.  

The team coach Alex Barrera together with Brulio Thorne and Robert Weekes were the first blind men who learned the game in 2014, when Adda and Matteo came to New York the first time, as Ambassadors for AIBxC to launch the game in the mainstream of the blind and visual impair population in the United States.  

It was not until July 17, 2015, that Barrera, Thorne and Weekes, together with other players (on this photo), Adda and Matteo, and Ed Plumacker played a full game in Central Park, with the assistance of coaches Fabio Giurleo, Daniele Crippa from Italy, sent by AIBxC, and Hall of Fame Coach Dan Landolphi.  This presentation was organized by Ed Plumacker, first Coach for AIBXC in the USA, who had the players repeating the demonstration the next day, July 18, 2015, at the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn.  Photo: Massimo Saccares Roman    

The folloiwng year, May 2nd, 2016 Ada Nardin and Matteo Briglia returned to the US to continue their missiotn to introduce the Adaptive Baseball for the Blind in the US when Rober Weekes, Alex Barrera and other members of the NY Lions BB also learned the game from Romualdo Signori, Alberto Nardeccia, Giancarlo Berfganti from Italy and they called the small group "NY Bashers", whick together with Don Landolphi, hall of Fame College Baseball Coach proceeded to continue the technical program, that originally started from the efforts and dedication of Ada and Matteo under the dirctives of AIBXC.  The group was also joined by Massimo Saccares, Roman, director who did a docufilm on baseball played by the blind.  See photo herein with A. Nardechcia, R. Signori, Ada Nardin, M. Briglia with Alex Barrera, and Robert Weekes from NY Lions BB. 
  
The NY Lions BB team is well organized, in formation to expand.  They work together respecting each other with a mission to reach a common goal.  They strive, and their moto is “HOPE IS BELIEVING!

For more information, contact nylionsbb@gmail.com