Good Morning,
26th February is Goalball UK’s birthday – today we are 11 years old.
What a journey we have had, and continue to have. This marks the end of our 10 Year anniversary and to celebrate we are launching lots of new things. Attached are two very important documents that we would appreciate if you all took the time to read, these are:
Goalball UK: Ten Year Anniversary
This shows the value of our sport. Following independent research by York St John University demonstrating that for every £1 we receive we turn that into a social value of £4.31, which is a truly remarkable figure.
However, more importantly it showcases the tremendous ‘Goalball Family’. You, the heroes, within our sport and how successful you are in many guises. Thank you so much to those who have contributed. Please take time to have a read and share our work with your friends, family, peers and anyone who you think will enjoy reading it.
To view the 10 year stories, please click here (PDF Version).
To view it in a Word document format, please click here.
We will be showcasing these individuals through video in the upcoming weeks, to view the 10 year anniversary introduction please click here!
Goalball Visionaries:
We are also launching our Goalball Visionaries campaign.
Goalball is sometimes described as sport’s best kept secret. This is a label that, with your help, we would like to shed; not out of a sense of frustration or lack of appreciation, but because we believe that our community is at a natural stage where it is ready and needs to grow.
We combine elite level Paralympic sport, featuring a desire to succeed on the global stage, with a truly inclusive option for those who are often excluded from physical activity and being in a team at school or recreationally.
As a registered charity based in Sheffield, we now have an executive staff of eight, a frugal budget and much of our energy and capacity comes through an extraordinary support network, meaning that there are often more coaches, officials and volunteers at a tournament than there are players on-court. And whilst every sport has its ‘critics corner’, our canine version is somewhat special and unique!
We enjoy the enthusiastic financial support of Sport England in relation to growing the grassroots and club base of the sport, and we are delighted that from 2021 our national teams will be the subject of some support from UK Sport, as we aim to address the undoubted but bridgeable gap to international elite level performance and qualification for future Paralympic Games.
However, this endorsement and support will only get us so far and there are many in the VI community across the UK who simply have not had the opportunity to experience the power of goalball. The continued expansion and professional delivery of the sport, whilst retaining its core values, is crucial in the next period and we want this to firmly include all of the Home Nations.
In the coming weeks, we will also be launching ‘Life Goals’, a Legacy Giving package, giving the opportunity for us to leave a legacy to our wonderful sport, a Patrons and Ambassador programme and bespoke fundraising packs for you to support Goalball UK and the many clubs we have across the country.
To view the goalball visionaries brochure, please click here (PDF Version)
To view the goalball visionaries brochure, please click here (Word Version)
Click here to view the goalball visionaries page or here to access the Enthuse donation page!
Please continue to share the word of goalball. Tell them the great work we are all doing and be proud of yourselves.
Mark Winder
Goalball UK
Secretary General/Chief Executive Officer
