Goalball UK has appointed Gary Fraser to the new full-time role of High-Performance Lead. He will work with staff and athletes to develop the programme across all levels of play. This is a crucial time for the team as they prepare for the IBSA World Games 2023 and the Paralympics 2024.
Gary comes with a wealth of experience in disability sport, including nine years at Scottish Disability Sport as Regional Development Manager and then Performance Manager. He managed the Scottish boccia performance programme, developing high-performance players to transition to the Boccia UK World Class Programme. He also led the Scotland Para Lawn Bowls team to the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He started the new role at Goalball UK on 6 June 2022.
Mark Winder, CEO of Goalball UK said:
‘This appointment is an exciting evolution for Goalball UK, as we continue to develop as a sport in all areas. Gary has strong experience of supporting athletes and their families and implementing talent identification and transfer programmes. The creation of the role represents a huge commitment by the Board, and I wish to thank them for facilitating it.’
Gary said:
‘I’ve always been passionate about disability sport and have spent my career championing inclusion for people of all abilities. I am excited about contributing to the aims and obsessions of Goalball UK, in particular, the forthcoming IBSA World Games in 2023, which are being held in Birmingham. A home Games provides a great opportunity to showcase our sport and drives us towards our qualification objectives.’
‘Paris 2024 is also just around the corner and I’m looking forward to working with the staff, players and coaches to realise our ambitions of qualifying and competing for medals.’
