SPORTING Club Albion have been the subject of some fantastic media coverage over the past week since the official announcement they have been chosen by The Football Association to host the West Midlands' Blind Centre of Excellence.

To celebrate the new status, Baggies players Nicky Shorey and Ben Foster joined Sporting Club Albion's England international blind footballer, and London 2012 Paralympics hopeful, Darren Harris, at the club's Barclays Spaces 4 Sport Community Sports Hall, at The Albion Foundation. Albion Foundation ambassador and local hero, 'Blind Dave' Heeley, was also in attendance.

Blind football is thriving within the disability section of Sporting Club Albion, which is based at Albion's charitable trust, The Albion Foundation, Halfords Lane, and serves as the official representative club for all sports outside of the Baggies' professional football department and Academy.

Sporting Club Albion have been chosen to run one of three regional Blind Centres of Excellence in the country due to the support they have given to the development of blind footballers in Sandwell, Dudley and surrounding areas.

Aided by an annual £8,000 FA grant, Sporting Club Albion, in partnership with Birmingham County FA, will deliver an elite football programme aimed at unearthing and producing talented blind footballers.

Sporting Club Albion are currently second in the FA's national Blind Futsal League while Darren is top of the scoring charts, having won the golden boot last season.

To mark the launch of Sporting Club Albion's FA West Midlands Blind Centre of Excellence, left-back Nicky and goalkeeper Ben took part in drills with Darren and his Sporting Club Albion team-mates, plus pupils from Priestley Smith School, Great Barr - an all-age specialist centre for pupils with severe sight loss.

Sporting Club Albion's Sporting Director, James Bunch, said: "The fact we have been granted Blind Centre of Excellence status is just reward for all the hard work our coaches and staff have put into developing blind football.

"Our blind football section is going from strength to strength and players on the elite programme will benefit from professional technical coaching, athletic development support and a games programme at national level."

Sporting Club Albion will also be running Soccability programmes thanks to further FA funding, which is distributed by the Birmingham County FA.

The scheme will encourage participation in visually-impaired football at grassroots level and also provide a pathway to the Centre of Excellence for talented players.

"We have built a great working partnership with Priestley Smith School and the Birmingham County FA and, through Soccability, we will be offering junior players of all abilities the chance to come along and play football in a fun and relaxed environment at our community sports hall," added Jamie.

"The Soccability sessions will complement Sporting Club Albion's extensive disability sports programme.

"They will also further enhance our reputation as an established and reputable club for developing disability sport - be it playing for fun or joining one of our competitive teams."

FA Development Officer, James Watkins, said: "Sporting Club Albion, in partnership with Birmingham County FA, have made significant progress in supporting the development of the blind player pathway.

"Through funding provided by The Football Association and the Youth Sport Trust, Sporting Club Albion, in partnership with Birmingham FA, have developed provision that truly impacts players at both the grassroots and performance levels of the player pathway.

"Sporting Club Albion have been busy implementing a B1 'Soccability' Hub Site introducing pupils from Priestley Smith School to the game while establishing the FA West Midlands Blind Centre of Excellence.

"The commitment demonstrated by the club in initiating this work has been fantastic and is key to the development of the game in the West Midlands ahead of the 2012 Paralympics.

"The club will certainly be in a position to meet the demand from blind individuals wishing to access the game for future years."