As another successful season comes to a close, we are proud to announce and congratulate the winners of the Goalball UK End of Season Awards. These individuals have exemplified the spirit of determination, teamwork, and inclusivity, leaving a positive effect on the goalball community!
2023-24 Player of the Season – Georgie Bullen
Georgie is an exceptional player that has contributed to both domestic and international goalball for over 15 years, including representing Great Britain at a Paralympic Games.
Since Georgie participated in her first major international competition in 2009 winning the European A Championships, she has been the main stay of every team she has been a part of, primarily playing in a central role and being the lead communicator on court.
In 2023 Georgie played a leading role in the Great Britian women’s team finishing 7th at the IBSA World Games and 4th at the European A Championships. This backed up her impressive performances for the GB team in 2022 where the team finished 7th at the World Championships. Domestically this season Georgie led the Queen Bees, an all-female team to a 5th place finish in the Goalball UK Super League and finished 3rd in the goalscoring charts.
Georgie has also provided brilliant support for her team mates on and off court over the years. Georgie brings the best out of those players around her, providing motivation, and inspiration with her words and performances, being ‘the rock’ for the teams she plays in.
2023-24 Keith Lound (Service to Sport) Award – Becky Ashworth
Since becoming involved in Goalball in 2013, Becky has played an integral role in both the high-performance system and grassroots goalball. Her commitment to fostering the sport’s growth, working across several roles over the years, coupled with her attitude and passion towards the sport and supporting athletes makes her a truly deserving winner of the award.
One of Becky’s most significant achievements over recent years has been her effort to nurture the next generation of goalball enthusiasts, signposting volunteers to Goalball UK’s activator programme. Through her role as a lecturer on the Sport Business Management course at Sheffield Hallam University, she has inspired students to become involved in the sport, encouraging them to undertake meaningful volunteer work and placements within goalball which has contributed towards the success of the sport and the growth of the domestic competition structure.
Through her guidance, students have become invaluable assets to the sport’s volunteer workforce, providing essential support to competitions and grassroots initiatives.
As a coach for the Women’s Great Britain Team, Becky has made an invaluable contribution over the last two Paralympic cycles. Her mastery of the rules, ability to build trust and strong relationships and think strategically have been instrumental in the team’s success. Under her guidance, the women’s team have solidified their position as a top 10 ranked team. Results including winning the European B Champions in 2016 and more recently finishing 7th at back-to-back World level events in 2022 and 2023 highlight Becky’s contribution.
Becky’s decade-long dedication to goalball has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the sport and the athletes, volunteers and coaches working within it.
You can watch the moment Georgie, and Becky received their awards along with the entire Goalfix Cup presentation via our YouTube channel – Goalfix Cup 2024 Presentation.
