Today, Wednesday 11th December 2024, Goalball UK are pleased to announce the invited athletes for the Performance Pathway Programme 2024-2025.
As part of a significant programme update, new staff, coaches, and training camps have been introduced throughout 2024 to revitalise the Performance Pathway Programme. This period has served as a transition phase ahead of our first full annual invitation, which we are proud to reveal today.
The programme will be re-selected each December and offers athletes comprehensive support for 12 months. It aims to enhance individual and collective athlete performance with teams selected from the invited cohort.
This announcement coincides with an anticipated funding decision from UK Sport crucial for initiating the LA 2028 preparation cycle. This decision is expected soon and is essential for supporting our strategic plan for 2025-2029.
We proudly announce the following athletes joining the 2024-2025 programme:
High Performance athletes
Caleb Nanevie, Dan Roper, Joe Roper, Lois Turner, Matthew Loftus
Performance Potential athletes
David Scott, Chelsea Hudson, Conall Moore, Jack Peters, Kali Holder, Alexandra Ulysses
Talent athletes
Freya Gavin, Harry Boden, Jacob Hare, Leo Stubbs, Paddy Harmer
Wildcard athletes
Jalal Ariyanpour, Josh McEntee
Academy athletes
Keira Mills, Max Dyble, Daniel White, Emily Ramsden, Arun Rai, Eilidh Johnstone, Alex Bull, Alleah Beard-Pace, Jacob Evans, Catrin Young, Gareth Mainwaring, Daniel Longmore, Faith Stubbs, Daniel Jenkins, Hannah Bennett, Ben Tall, Imogen Dodds, Nikhil Kamath
Congratulations to every goalball athlete awarded a place, reflecting their hard work and dedication over the past seven months. We are also pleased to utilise our ‘wildcard’ option to invite two new players into the programme.
The LA 2028 Cycle officially begins on April 1, 2025, but our performance staff remain focused on establishing strong foundations for significant impact over the next four years.
Our first major challenge in this cycle for both men’s and women’s teams will be at the IBSA European Championships in Lahti, Finland, from September 28 to October 6, 2025.
Gary Fraser, High Performance Lead at Goalball UK said “The Goalball UK Performance Pathway Programme has seen a lot of necessary changes over the past 12 months, as we focus on making a high-performance impact on the international stage. We are now in a position where we have developed a holistic programme where both our men and women have the foundations to develop and perform, surrounded by a team of forward thinking, collaborative and respected experts.
It is a privilege to work alongside so many dedicated and talented athletes and staff and I look forward to watching their growth over the coming months and years”.
Faye Dale, National Talent Lead at Goalball UK said “The past twelve months have been critical in laying the foundations to provide every athlete at all levels of the Performance Pathway Programme a clear and transparent opportunity to reach their potential in goalball. We are excited to welcome this fantastic cohort of athletes and look forward to working with them in this next cycle.”
Mark Winder, CEO at Goalball UK said “Goalball UK will imminently receive an announcement of the funding of government and National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England to support the Performance Pathway Programme. Despite many positive performances within the Paris Cycle both men’s and women’s teams failed to qualify. As a result, changes have occurred. We will be providing opportunities to all the named athletes. We are committed to developing the opportunities to support blind and partially sighted athletes and creating winning teams. We want to operate in a more informed professional manner through a cohesive performance programme that will:
- support athletes in home programmes
- provide regional training opportunities in addition to
- regularly working together at the Centre of Excellence, based at EIS Sheffield.
Congratulations to ALL who have been selected. This is only the beginning and there is a lot of hard work ahead for all involved.”
Goalball UK’s Performance Pathway Programme is supported by UK Sport and Sport England.
Goalball UK would also like to thank Perfection Travel and Events Ltd, Direct Business Group, SOL PV, PE Office and Northern Accountants for their support.
