We are delighted to announce Chelsea Hudson, a longstanding member of the Goalball UK Youth Forum, has been co-opted onto the Goalball UK Board for a one-year term.
Chelsea has been part of the Youth Forum since its inception in 2021 and has played an active role in representing the voices and experiences of young people within the goalball community. Her appointment marks an exciting step forward for Goalball UK and reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring young people have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of our sport.
The co-option of a Youth Forum member onto the Board is a significant milestone for the organisation and one we are proud of given its relative uniqueness amongst National Governing Bodies. It ensures youth perspectives are embedded directly within governance and strategic decision-making, rather than sitting alongside it.
Chelsea brings lived experience of our sport, insight into the challenges and opportunities facing young people with a visual impairment, and a strong understanding of how Goalball UK’s work impacts the next generation of players, volunteers, and leaders.
John Grosvenor, Chair of Goalball UK, said:
I am delighted to welcome Chelsea to the Goalball UK board. Chelsea will bring a different and valuable perspective to our board discussions, and I look forward to working with her.
Mark Winder, CEO of Goalball UK, added:
The quality of applications we received was outstanding, and we were faced with an incredibly impressive group of strong candidates. However, Chelsea stood out as the strongest choice to take on this role.
This appointment is a major milestone in the ongoing developments here at Goalball UK. We are proud to be doing things differently to many other National Governing Bodies by ensuring the youth voice isn’t just a side project—it’s right at the heart of our decision-making. That is what true inclusion looks like to us. We truly are, as our strategy says, ‘Empowering our People’
During her one-year term, Chelsea will contribute to Board discussions, offering insight from the Youth Forum and help ensure the views of young people remain central to Goalball UK’s strategic direction.
When asked about the opportunity to join the Board, Chelsea Hudson said:
I have been a member of the Goalball UK Youth Forum for the last 5 years, and this has enabled me to become an advocate for young people with a visual impairment. When I heard about the opportunity for someone on the Youth Forum to be co-opted onto the Goalball UK Board, I was really excited as it is such a huge step forward to have youth representation on the Board of our sport. I am passionate about getting more young people into the sport and to have their voices heard! This is a unique opportunity with most governing bodies not having a young person on their board, and I hope I can do this role justice.
