South Yorkshire novice team photo with left to right: Amber, Ben, Khalil, and Klaudia with their gold medals!
Each Thursday we want to put the spotlight on a person involved with goalball – from players, officials, coaches, or anyone!

This week we caught up with Amber Whaley!

What club do you play for or coach?

I play for South Yorkshire.

How did you discover goalball?

A staff member where I lived introduced me to goalball – at the start of the 2016/17 season – initially as a means to tick a box and I liked it, so I kept playing.

Is there a particular song, artist or genre that you listen to before a tournament to get in the mood? Or anything you’re loving at the moment?

Depends, either ‘This is war’ by Five Finger Death Punch or Dun Morogh which is from the World of Warcraft soundtrack.

Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals?

Yep – drink one double espresso and crack all crackable joints!

South Yorkshire novice team at a tournament together, with 3 players sat on a bench, and 3 sat on the floor below. All looking happy and smiley after on a competition day!

Do you have a favourite post-match meal?

Either Chinese or Sushi – bank account dependent!

Which goalball player do you admire the most and why?

Meica Horsburgh, an Australian international, who played for South Yorkshire for one season. She taught me a lot about the game when I was first starting out.

Outside of goalball, what other hobbies/sports do you do?

I like mountain biking and playing World of Warcraft.

Finally, what place, anywhere in the world, is on your bucket list to visit and why?

I would really like to go to Canada.

 To check out the rest of the articles from our ‘Featured Thursday’ series please use the following link Goalball UK – Featured Thursday.