Originally established to provide additional international playing opportunities for blind footballers, the EBFL has grown into a cornerstone of RNC Hereford’s competitive calendar. The Football Association (FA) initially entered RNC Hereford into the League to allow England and RNC Head Coach Adam Bendall to trial emerging talent from the RNC Sports Academy, developing younger players alongside experienced England players.

Despite a delayed 2025/26 season following an international break over the summer, the fifth and final round concluded on 3 October with RNC maintaining their dominance over the competition, a result that exceeded all expectations.

Heading into the final weekend in Florence, RNC held a narrow three point lead over second-placed host team Quarto Tempo Firenze, with everything to play for.

RNC opened their weekend in dominant fashion, sweeping past Borussia Dortmund with an emphatic 7–0 victory. Rising star Mikey Poulli scored a hat-trick, complemented by a brace from Eesa Amjid and individual goals from Toby Williams and Ollie Johnson.

An outdoor, wide shot of two blind football teams standing in a line along the center circle of a green artificial turf pitch on a sunny day. One team on the left wears yellow jerseys and black shorts, while the team on the right wears red jerseys and dark shorts, with eye shades on the outfield players. Goalkeepers, referees, and coaches stand alongside them. All participants are clapping in sportsmanship.
RNC lining up with Borussia Dortmund and match officials before kick-off
An action shot taken from behind the goalposts on an outdoor artificial turf pitch during a blind football match. In the centre, a blindfolded player wearing a red jersey (number 10) and dark shorts winds up to strike the ball toward the net. A goalkeeper wearing a grey and black Dortmund kit with number 18 stands in front of the goal, watching the play unfold. On the right, two opposing players in yellow Borussia Dortmund jerseys observe the attack, while a referee in black watches from the left background.
Eesa Amjid kicks the ball towards goal

In their second match against Blind Football Poland (BFP), RNC faced a tough test when BFP broke the deadlock early on. Demonstrating resilience and skill under pressure, RNC fought back to claim a hard-earned victory with goals from Poulli and Amjid – the game ended 2-1. The back-to-back wins made it mathematically impossible for Firenze to close the gap, ensuring the trophy returned to Hereford once again.

RNC players feature heavily in the tournament’s top 10 individual goalscorers for the season:

Eesa Amjid – 2nd place (8 goals)

Mikey Poulli – 6th place (4 goals)

Efe Shimwell – Joint 8th place (3 goals)

Ollie Johnson – Joint 8th place (3 goals)

Reflecting on their success, Adam Bendall said:

“It got a bit too close for comfort in the Poland game, but it just shows the commitment the players have to the project, to the team, and to winning the League again.

It’s a great tournament to give the guys more experience. It wasn’t the plan to win it this year – I just wanted to give our young players, like Mikey, Harrison, and Toby, more experience of playing European football. So, we’ve accidentally won it in terms of planning for them to get more playing minutes and getting other goalkeepers exposed to the competition. It comes as a little bit of a surprise, but a good surprise. It shows how everyone works really hard, and we should give ourselves credit that England are managing to produce players quite quickly and at a good level, where they can compete alongside and against experienced international players.”

RNC Player Toby Williams added:

“It was great to finish the season with a trophy after all the hard work and the ups and downs of the season.”

There will be little time to rest for the champions. RNC Hereford will begin defending their title when the 2026/2027 season kicks off in Greece this coming December.