Goalball championship held in England for first time

A sports centre has made history by hosting the European Goalball Club Championships for the first time.

The event, which sees some of Europe’s best goalball teams compete, is taking place at Oundle School Sports Centre in Northamptonshire from 21-23 February.

This marks the first time the tournament has been held on British soil.

Goalball is a Paralympic sport designed for blind and partially sighted athletes. Players wearing blindfolds attempt to defend their net from a ball thrown at speed, guided only by the sound of bells inside it.

Emma Roberts, 49, head coach of the Fen Tigers from Cambridgeshire, and tournament organiser, said: “It means everything [to host the event]. From a Fen Tigers perspective, it’s great to host goalball in this country.

“We want to try and leave a legacy from this. We’ve got Paralympic gold medallists here and you can aspire to that.”

Goalball was originally developed in the 1940s to aid soldiers returning from war with eye injuries.

It has been part of the Paralympic Games since 1976 with matches consisting of two 12-minute halves.

Fen Tigers player Dan Roper, who is visually impaired, started playing the sport in 2013.

Speaking after an 11-6 victory against Aarhus, the 34-year old said: “It means everything. We’re just trying to promote the sport and show visually impaired athletes that goalball is exciting and competitive at a world level.”

Teammate Josh McEntee, 32, who lost his sight in a car accident but took up goalball six months later, added: “Goalball gave me focus, a purpose, something to strive for. There’s nothing that measures up to it.”

Each team has three players on the court at one time and cheering, clapping, chanting is prohibited to allow players to listen for the ball.