York St John to host Goalball tournament

York St John University will host an important tournament in the national Goalball calendar later this month.

The northern round of Goalball UK’s National League, at intermediate level, will be held in Foss Sports Hall on York St John’s campus on Saturday 26 April 2014. The tournament will comprise of eight teams and will run from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Members of the public are very welcome to come and watch.

Goalball has been a Paralympic sport since 1980 and is played by visually impaired athletes. The fast-paced game involves two teams of three players who wear black-out masks and attempt to roll a ball across the opponent’s goal line. It is played on an indoor court with special markings so players can feel where they are on the court and the ball has bells inside to help players hear it as it moves. 

Martin Bond, YSJ Active Instructor, said: “Goalball is becoming more popular with both visually impaired and fully sighted players; hopefully this tournament will help its popularity in the York area grow even further.

“It is a great that York St John is involved in this national event and will hopefully boost the profile of our Inclusive Activity Club.

“It is a really exciting sport to watch, I’d encourage people to come and see exactly what goes on. The main difference to other sports is that spectators have to be quiet during match play but the atmosphere and anticipation when watching is exactly the same as any other sporting event.”

The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Julie Gunnell, will be on campus to watch some of the final rounds and present winners medals at the end of the competition

Goalball is part of York St John’s Inclusive Activity Club which provides physical activity opportunities for people with learning disabilities and/or visual impairments. York St John University Goalball Club was launched in January 2011 and is now the biggest club in the UK, in terms of participation.

Sessions take place every Saturday at Foss Sports Hall at York St John University and cost £2.00 per person. For further details contact YSJ Active on T: 01904 876300 or E: ysjactive@yorksj.ac.uk