Each week we are digging through the Goalball UK archives to look back at some of our favourite memories from the sport from years gone by.
This week we are looking back at Corporate Events.
In November 2013, the ‘Goalball Corporate Event Experience’ was officially launched at The Lighthouse in Birmingham with staff from Sport England participating. They were given a quick overview of the sport before getting stuck into lots of goalball related teambuilding activities. They then learnt the basic attacking and defending skills and put them into practice in a game. Elite goalballers Simon Goodall and Phil Green were on hand throughout to share their experiences. Follow this link to find out more!
A camera crew was also present to film the session and capture the opinions of the participants – which were all overwhelmingly positive. For example, Jilly Holroyd, who at the time was Sport England’s Relationship Manager with Goalball UK commented:
“This is a fantastic initiative and a unique opportunity that we would encourage all businesses to try.”
Find out how it went through this link!
The concept of the ‘Goalball Corporate Event Experience’ came to fruition following a successful pilot event at the EIS in Sheffield with Regional Managers from the insurance company Royal Sun Alliance. Having heard about goalball because of the London 2012 Paralympics, they were keen to ‘give it a go’ as part of a wider team away day. The feedback received from this was:
“An outstanding teamwork event with really great outcomes.”
Over the years, numerous events have been held around the country for a wide variety of companies – including car manufacturer Nissan, financial services provider Allianz, banking giant Standard Chartered and the international development organisation Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). Events have also been delivered on behalf of partners working in the sight loss sector, such as Guide Dogs and Vision West of England, plus partners working in the sports sector, such as the English Institute of Sport (in Manchester) and Rounders England.
One of the most memorable events, due to it’s unorthodox setting, was for the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). The improvised court was set up in their central London office so members of staff who were not directly involved in the session were sat at their desks, watching on slightly bemused, whilst colleagues tried to score penalties against GB player Adam Knott!
Depending on the number of people wishing to participate and the time and space available, events are tailored to meet the needs of the organisations. The common purpose always though is to help organisations to improve their communication, leadership and teamwork skills which, as all goalballers know, are vital on court to be successful. At the same time, the events help to raise the profile of goalball and generate some income.
If your organisation, is interested in hosting a Goalball Corporate Event Experience please email Mark@goalballuk.com for more information.
