Goalball is a Paralympic team sport designed for athletes with visual impairments — players throw a ball with bells inside toward the opposing goal while wearing eyeshades (blacked-out goggles that equalise all classifications). Teams of three defend a 9-metre goal. Goalball Australia governs the sport. This guide covers the key funding sources for goalball clubs and programmes in Australia.
Goalball Australia is the national governing body:
- Men's and women's competitions
- National championship events
- Paralympic programme — goalball has been at every Summer Paralympic Games since 1976
- Junior development
Contact Goalball Australia and your state body for Paralympics Australia investment and national programme access.
Blind Sports Australia governs sport for people with visual impairments:
- Goalball is a core Blind Sports discipline
- State blind sports associations fund goalball
- Community development programmes
Paralympics Australia funds goalball as a Paralympic sport:
- National programme investment
- High performance pathway
- Paralympic selection and preparation
State Paralympic councils fund community goalball.
Sport Australia funds goalball through Paralympics Australia:
- Para-sport development investment
State sport agencies fund disability sport including goalball:
- Equipment grants for clubs
- Disability sport inclusion programmes
Gaming grants fund goalball clubs:
- NSW ClubGRANTS: Disability sport development
- State gaming trusts: Equipment and programme grants
Gaming trust applications for goalball:
- Goalball sets (bells-inside ball) — $150–$400 each (6 per set)
- Eyeshades (blacked-out goggles) — $30–$80 each; needed for all players including sighted
- Court mats with tactile markings — $2,000–$5,000 for a full court mat set
- Tape and line markers
- Protective gear (knee/elbow pads)
Goalball requires specific equipment:
- Goalball: Heavy ball with bells inside — $150–$400 each
- Eyeshades: Mandatory blackout goggles for all players — $30–$80 each
- Court mat: Thick tactile mat with raised line markings (athletes navigate by feel) — $2,000–$5,000
- Goal posts: 1.3m × 9m goal — usually taped out or posts used
- Protective equipment: Knee and hip pads
The court mat is the most significant equipment investment — it provides the tactile lines that athletes use to orient themselves.
Beyond sport funders:
- Guide Dogs Australia: Some support for blind sport programmes
- Vision Australia: Services and community for people with visual impairment
- NDIS: Sport participation for eligible individuals with visual impairment
- Disability foundations: Equipment and inclusion grants
- Community foundations: Inclusive sport development
Goalball in education:
- Schools with students with visual impairment: Goalball as physical education
- Inclusion in mainstream schools: Sighted students play with eyeshades
- School sport grants: PE equipment including goalball sets
Goalball is uniquely inclusive — sighted players wear eyeshades and compete on equal terms with visually impaired players. This is a strong point in applications about disability inclusion.
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Participant numbers: Athletes by age, gender, and vision classification
- Equipment: Balls, eyeshades, court mats — specific list with safety justification
- Paralympic pathway: Connection to state and national competition
- Visual impairment community: Connection to blind sport community
- Inclusive dimension: Sighted players participating alongside VI athletes
- Schools and community access: Open programmes for VI youth
- Organisation governance: Affiliation to Goalball Australia and Blind Sports Australia
Tahua's grants management platform helps goalball clubs manage grant applications across Paralympics Australia, Blind Sports Australia, disability funders, and gaming trusts, tracking equipment, visual impairment inclusion, and Paralympic pathway outcomes.