VENNS Lane in Hereford is the scene where a group of sportsmen are working towards clinching a medal at the Paralympics in China.

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) might be a long way from Beijing - but it is the place where Great Britain medal hopes are burning brightly.

RNC is home to the Great Britain Blind Football Team who are being put through their paces ahead of the Paralympics in September.

The British squad are managed by Tony Larkin, who also works full-time as the assistant director of the Football Academy at RNC. He is hopeful of bringing home a medal.

“All the games will be very hard but we have quite a lot of training weekends at the college, building up to Beijing. I am looking forward to the Paralympics and so too are the players. Brazil and Argentina are ranked first and second in the world and Spain are third. We are roughly fourth in the world. We are preparing well and our team is a lot fitter and better organised than before. I am very hopeful of getting a medal.” The England squad qualified as Great Britain for the Paralympics after finishing runners-up in the European Championships in Greece.

Spain are the European Champions and have a full-time coach.

England have been runners-up five times in European Championships and competed in five World Championships.

Larkin said: “We already know the draw for the Paralympics. We have our first game against China on September 7 followed by Korea, Spain, Argentina and Brazil. Blind Football in Spain and Brazil is well established and there is a big awareness of Blind Football in those countries so they are further down the road than us.

“We want to try to spread the message that there is Blind Football in the UK. We want to attract new players and give them the opportunity to play Blind Football.” RNC is launching a Football Academy in September as part of its multi-million pound investment at the college.

Larkin, who is a life-member of British Blind Sport, said: “It’s not only fantastic for the college but also for the Great Britain Blind Football Team. We have nearly completed the new build at the college which will be ready in January. With the new build and support from the FA, we are hosting the World Blind Football Championships in Hereford in August 2010. “We will have Brazil and Argentina coming to Hereford so these are very exciting times. The facilities will provide us with preparation leading up to London 2012 when we will be able to host competitions and have countries using them.

“Our hope is that the Football Academy becomes part of a country-wide coaching resource and a national centre running football leagues around the UK.” A team from RNC has just finished runners-up in a domestic Blind Football league which attracted teams from champions Worcester, West Brom and the South Region.

Larkin hopes new teams from London and Merseyside will compete in the league next term.

Larkin says Blind Football is a competitive and skilful sport.

“Blind players have to keep the ball very close to them. You have to develop their special awareness, mobility and orientation skills.” “I don’t treat the players any differently because they are blind. They must reach a high standard and work hard to maintain it.”