Don't let the rules of the game become more important than how we play the game -- We're here to support the game and the players.

Goalball is a Paralympic team sport that was specifically conceived for the visually impaired. All players wear 'blacked-out' ski masks, so no one has a visual advantage. The main skills required are based upon auditory cues; the ability to spatially orient ones-self, and the tracking and blocking of a ball. So what motivates athletes to participate?

Generally the visually impaired play sport for independence and physical activity. More specifically, women are typically attracted by the social component, that is, having a support network of female athletes similar to themselves (visual impairment). While men are generally more attracted by the competition aspect, it is a place to test themselves and to display their prowess. Goalballers predominantly choose the sport because all players are completely blind on court. From this, players perceive that it [is] immaterial when vision was lost, or the degree of impairment. Goalball is the only sport available to the visually impaired that offers this. It appears that the biggest challenge facing these athletes is the belief that the visually impaired should not engage in physical activities. This results in a lack of coordination skills and fitness. Athletes who lost their vision later in life report that goalball is the closest they can come to a contact sport. In summary, there are general answers as to why athletes choose to play goalball, while others are moderated by sex of respondent, level of visual ability, and when sight was lost (congenital or later in life).

Monash Sport Psychology Conference: 'Knowing me, knowing you: Understanding the motivational needs of athletes', 5-7 January 1999, Melbourne, Australia.