Goalball – Two Ways to Play

Location: gymnasium, outdoor field, tarmac, multipurpose room

What’s It All About?

These versions of Goalball are quick to set up, can be played in various locations, and can be customized for the number of participants and the available time. Participants learn about and practise keeping possession of and intercepting a ball while wearing eyeshades. Each version of the activity is designed for maximum and meaningful participation and inclusion for everyone in a fun and welcoming environment. They are designed so that everyone feels valued and encouraged to participate to the best of their abilities.

Considerations

• Select the version of the activity that best meets the interests and needs of participants who choose to take part in this intramural activity.
• Incorporate some or all of the variations listed in the “Variations” section while planning the activity. This will help to best meet the needs and interests of participants during play and maximize the fun, inclusion, and participation of everyone.
• To elevate participant voice and choice, periodically pause the activity and share the variations with participants. Ask them to determine how they would like to change the activity to maximize the fun, inclusion, and meaningful participation for everyone. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.

Safety

• Visually inspect the equipment and activity area to identify and remove hazards. Check that the activity surface provides sufficient traction.
• Establish the boundaries for the designated playing area at a safe distance from walls and obstacles. Share the boundaries with participants.
• Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to the activity.
• Instruct participants to be aware of their surroundings, including the locations of other participants during play.

Equipment

• 1 bell ball or sound-emitting ball per group (e.g., a soft ball or beach ball covered in plastic bags, beach ball with rice added to create the sound). Consider creating various size balls and have participants choose the ball they would like to use
• Blindfolds or eyeshades; 1 per participant
• Cones, pylons, or floor markers (Version 2); enough for groups to establish boundaries of their playing area

Version 1: Circle Goalball (small group play)

How to Play

• Divide participants into small groups (e.g., 5 – 6).
• Have each group sit in a circle.
• Ask a participant to volunteer to sit in the middle of their group’s circle.
• Ask another participant to volunteer to be the “guide.”
• Explain that the guide’s role is to retrieve the ball if it goes outside the circle. The guide must also inform the participant in the middle of the circle if they are moving to intercept a ball or if they are getting close to a sitting participant and/or a wall/obstacle.
• Before beginning the game and before putting on eyeshades, have participants practise various ways of sending the ball to other participants (e.g., with hands, feet) and experimenting with different ways of communicating with each other (e.g., snapping fingers, slapping the floor, clapping hands). Explain that the eyeshades are an official part of the equipment of Goalball, an official Paralympic sport. The eyeshades are not meant to simulate the experience of having a visual impairment.
• Have all participants put on their eyeshades except for the guide.
• Participants sitting in the circle roll the ball to other participants in the circle, working together to try to send the ball without it being intercepted by the participant in the middle.
• Participants can signal their location to others in the circle by making sounds (e.g., snapping fingers, slapping the floor, clapping hands).
• If a pass is intercepted, the participant in the middle changes places with the participant who last rolled the ball. Remind participants to remove their eyeshades when moving to their new positions.
• Have participants determine when to change positions with the participant in the middle rather than only when the ball is intercepted.
• After a period of play, provide participants with some or all of the variations. Ask them to decide how they might change the game to enhance the fun, inclusion, and participation for everyone. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.

Variations

• Decrease the size of the circle.
• Have more than 1 participant in the middle of the circle.
• Increase the number of balls.
• Identify a given number of passes (e.g., 3) for the participant in the middle to intercept before switching positions.
• Send the ball in various ways (e.g., lob, with feet).
• Increase the size of the circle.
• Set goals for the group to achieve or have groups set their own goals.
• Choose to play without wearing blindfolds/eyeshades.

Version 2: Full Court Goalball (small group or large group play)

How to Play

• Divide participants into groups (e.g., 5 – 7).
• Ask a participant to volunteer to be the guide. The guide does not wear eyeshades and tells participants what is happening during the game.
• Provide an opportunity for all participants to volunteer to be the guide.
• Have participants set up the boundaries for their playing area, identifying the sidelines, end lines, and the centre line using lines on the floor or with cones, pylons, or floor markers. Remind participants that they can increase or decrease the playing area periodically throughout play to match their skills or success with the activity.
• Have groups divide up with 2 or 3 participants on either side of the centre line in their playing area. Have additional participants stand outside the playing area, subbing in at pre-determined intervals or as their group determines.
• Before beginning the game and before putting on eyeshades, have participants practise the types of actions used in Goalball such as rolling or throwing the ball underhand from a standing position, kneeling while waiting for the ball, and blocking the ball while lying down.
• Have participants play first without the eyeshades to get used to how the game is played and to reinforce safety rules.
• Have participants put on their eyeshades. Remind them that only those engaged in the activity are to wear eyeshades.
• Participants attempt to score by rolling the ball across their opponents’ end line while the opponents try to block the ball and defend their end line.
• The guide verbally informs participants what is happening during the game (e.g., how close they are to the boundary line).
• If the ball stops moving and participants are not able to locate it, the guide gives the ball to the player closest to it.
• If the ball rolls out of the playing area, the guide retrieves it and gives it to the group that did not have possession of the ball when it went out of bounds.
• The game ends after the allotted time has elapsed.
• After a period of play, provide participants with some or all of the variations. Ask them to decide how they might change the game to enhance the fun, inclusion, and participation for everyone. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.

Variations

• Decrease the size of the playing area so participants have less space to defend.
• Change the type of object to send (e.g., beach ball, soft-skinned ball).
• Increase the size of the activity area so participants have more space to defend.
• Participants pass the ball a designated number of times before attempting to score.
• Participants on the sidelines can assist the group by helping the guide.
• Impose a time limit so a group only has a designated amount of time to roll the ball over the opponents’ end line.
• Choose to play without wearing blindfolds/eyeshades.