Goalball is a sport for the blind and partially sighted first designed in 1946 as a means to rehabilitate wounded World War II soldiers.
The game is played by two teams of three players on a court 18m long and 9m wide (the same size as a volleyball court). All players wear blindfolds, and the aim of the game is to throw a ball, which is the size of a basketball and weighs 1.25kg, into your opponents goal. The ball has bells inside of it so players use their hearing to locate and stop the ball from going into their goal. Court markings are tactile so players can feel where they are on court. A game consists of 2 x 12 minute halves, with a three minute half time, however the clock is stopped when the ball travels a certain amount off the court.
Goalball was first introduced as a demonstration sport at the 1976 Paralympics in Toronto and first became a competitive Paralympic sport in the 1980 Paralympics in Arnhem. It is now played in over 100+ countries around the world and is rapidly growing within the UK.
Find out more by watching a short video about the basics of Goalball…
Winchester Goalball Club 