Goalball is a Paralympic team sport for athletes with visual impairments — teams of three throw a bell-inside ball toward the opposing goal while wearing eyeshades that equalise all visual classifications. Goalball has been at every Summer Paralympic Games since 1976. Paralympics New Zealand and Blind Sport NZ govern the sport. This guide covers the key funding sources for goalball clubs and programmes in New Zealand.
Paralympics New Zealand governs goalball:
- National competition events
- Paralympic programme and pathway
- Junior goalball development
Blind Sport NZ governs sport for people with visual impairments:
- Goalball as a core Blind Sport discipline
- Community development programmes
- Regional blind sport associations
Contact Paralympics NZ and Blind Sport NZ for Sport NZ investment access.
Sport NZ funds goalball through Paralympics NZ:
- Para-sport development investment
- Paralympic programme
RSTs fund community goalball programmes.
RSTs fund goalball clubs and disability sport:
- Equipment grants for balls, eyeshades, and court mats
- Visual impairment sport inclusion
- Community access for VI athletes
Key RSTs:
- Aktive Auckland: Auckland goalball community
- Sport Wellington: Wellington goalball clubs
- Sport Canterbury: Christchurch visual impairment sport
Blind Low Vision NZ (formerly Blind Foundation):
- Support for goalball and blind sport
- Community programmes for people with visual impairment
- Potential partnership for goalball development
Gaming trusts fund goalball clubs:
- Four Winds Foundation: Disability sport and community organisations
- Grassroots Trust: Community sport and recreation
- Pub Charity: Equipment and community grants
- Lion Foundation: Community sport
Gaming trust applications for goalball:
- Goalball balls (bells-inside) — $150–$400 each
- Eyeshades — $30–$80 each (needed for all players)
- Court mats with tactile markings — $2,000–$5,000
- Protective pads (knee/elbow)
- Storage equipment
Goalball requires:
- Goalball: Bell-inside ball — $150–$400 each
- Eyeshades: Mandatory blackout goggles — $30–$80 each
- Court mat: Tactile markings that athletes navigate by touch — $2,000–$5,000
- Protective pads: Standard sport protection
- Storage: Ball bags and equipment storage
The tactile court mat is the most expensive item — it provides the raised line markings that athletes need to orient themselves.
Goalball is uniquely inclusive:
- Sighted students play with eyeshades: Equal competition with VI students
- Schools with VI students: Physical education inclusion
- Mainstream school inclusion: All students compete on level terms
- School sport grants: PE equipment funding including goalball
Goalball's Paralympic pathway:
- Club → Regional → National Championships → Paralympic Games
- New Zealand has competed in goalball at the Paralympic Games
- Strong community for a small country
Lottery Sport: Community goalball clubs and programmes.
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 national competition
- Visual impairment community: Connection to Blind Sport NZ and VI community
- Inclusive dimension: Sighted players welcomed with eyeshades
- Schools access: Open VI and inclusive school programmes
- Organisation governance: Affiliation to Paralympics NZ and Blind Sport NZ
Tahua's grants management platform helps goalball clubs manage grant applications across Paralympics NZ, Blind Sport NZ, disability funders, and gaming trusts, tracking equipment, visual impairment inclusion, and Paralympic pathway outcomes.