Goalball

Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for blind athletes. It was originally devised in 1946 by Austrian Hanz Lorenzen and German Sepp Reindle as a means of assisting the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War Two Veterans.4 This game was introduced to the world in the 1976 Paralympics games in Toronto, Canada and has been a part of every Paralympic games since then.2

The International Blind Sports Federation rules require the field of play to be 59 feet long by 30 feet wide.4 The court is divided into six even sections that are 9.8 feet by 29.5 feet. The team area is in front of the goal at both ends of the field.. Beyond that is each team’s landing zone. The middle two sections are collectively referred to as the neutral zone. To ensure that the blind athletes know where the sections begin and end, there is a long piece of twine placed underneath tape. This makes the line both visible and tactile. They use a 2.8 pounds and has 8 holes and contains several noise bells so that the athletes can know where the ball is without seeing it.4

Each team has three players on the court at a time, with one to three substitute players on the bench. The three positions on the court are center, left wing, and right wing. The center is the most responsible player on defense. The left and right wings generally line up at the edge of court on the left or right.4 A goal is one point and is scored when the ball completely crosses the goal line. The team with the higher score at the end of regulation time is the winner. If the game ends in a tie, 2 three minute overtime periods are played. The first goal in overtime ends the game.4

One American Paralympian that participated in the 2016 Rio Games is Matt Simpson.3 The men’s Goalball team placed second in the 2016 Paralympic Games.1  He is from Smyrna, Georgia and trains in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His career highlights consist of:

·         2014 World Championships – 3rd

·         2014 National Championships – 1st

·         2011 National Championships – 1st

·         2009 World Youth Championships – 1st

Matt was born with a congenital retinal disease that left him with severely impaired vision from an early age. He fell in love with the sport of Goalball in 1999 and has been playing ever since. He is the Membership and Outreach Coordinator for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes. He works to ensure that USABA members receive access to the information and resources that they need while also helping to strengthen USABA’s relationship with other organizations.3

References

12016, R. (2016, September). Paralympic Games. Retrieved from Goalball: https://www.rio2016.com/en/paralympics/goalball-standings-gb-mens-team

2Darren Hamilton. (n.d.). History of the Game Goalball. Retrieved from Goalball: http://www.dhamilton.net/goalball/D_GOABALL_HISTORY/Goalball_History.htm

3USA, T. (2016). Matt Simpson. Retrieved from Goalball: http://www.teamusa.org/para-goalball/athletes/Matt-Simpson

4Wikipedia. (2016, September 18). Goalball. Retrieved from Goalball: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goalball