Each Thursday we want to put the spotlight on a person involved with goalball – from players, officials to coaches, or anyone
This week we caught up with Peter Doyle!
What club do you play for or coach?
I play for Northern Allstars.
How did you discover goalball?
I first started playing, just for fun, at Huddersfield Actionnaires (a multi-sport club for blind and partially sighted children) that I used to attend on a Saturday morning. Then, when I started at Moor End High School, I began playing competitively in tournaments.
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?
I have a set play list on my phone (that I listen to on the train to any tournaments) that is filled with songs to get me hyped for a big weekend of goalball. A personal favourite is ‘Can’t hold us’ by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals?
I’ll try and keep my earphones in until I’m about to head on to the court!
Do you have a favourite post-match meal?
I like a Beefeaters steak with sweet potato fries.
Which goalball player do you admire the most and why?
There are a lot of players around me that have pushed me to work harder and made me the player I am today but the person who stands out as having been there from the beginning of my goalball career is Dave Butler. I also play a lot better when he’s on the other side of the court so I can wind him up in the pub the night after! I also must mention Faye Dale as I probably wouldn’t still be playing today without her as she dragged me back into the sport with the opportunity to play for Northern Allstars when I couldn’t see myself playing again.
Outside of goalball, what other hobbies/sports do you do?
I am currently studying at the University of Huddersfield where I am president of the badminton team. I also play a bit of hockey now and again.
Finally, what place, anywhere in the world, is on your bucket list to visit and why?
Goalball has taken me across the world to countries I would never have visited otherwise. However, I’ve recently fallen in love with climbing mountains and, closer to home, I’d love to find myself at the top of Snowdon in Wales by the end of this year.
