Australia men's national goalball team

Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Australia commenced its involvement in the sport in 1980.[1] Its men's team has completed in trans-Tasman competitions, the IBSA World Goalball Championships, and the Paralympic Games.

Australian national men's goalball team
Association: Goalball Australia
Nickname(s): Aussie Storm
Coach:
Captain:
Most Caps:
Top Scorer:
Ranking:
Paralympic Games Appearances:
Paralympic Medals: : : :
World Championship Appearances:
World Championship Medals: : : :

About 2015, the men's squad adopted the name 'Aussie Storm', whilst the women's squad became 'Aussie Belles'.

Squad

The team generally has up to nine members—six athletes and three staff.

The Australian Paralympic Committee Paralympic Preparation Program has previously provided scholarships to help fund player training. Goalball national team members who have been part of this program include Warren Lawton, Robert Crestani and Kevin Frew. Crestani, Lawton and Frew all competed at the 1996 Paralympics. For Lawton, it was his third Paralympics as a goalball player. Crestani and Frew had both been on the national squad three times before, with the 2000 Summer Paralympics as their fourth time competing in the event.[2] Assistance is now provided by Blind Sports Australia.

In 1999, the men's national goalball team coach was Sam Theodore. The assistant coach was Robert Apps.[2] The position is advertised every four years.[1]

The team frequently has training camps in preparation for major tournaments including the Paralympic Games and the IBSA World Goalball Championships.[2]

Paralympic Games competition

New York hosted the 1984 Summer Paralympics where thirteen teams participated and the team finished last.[3]

1996 Atlanta

At the 1996 Summer Paralympics, the team finished in fourth place.[2] This was the country's best finish in an international competition. The team had played a number of international matches prior to the start of the games. The team also had an extended training camp in Australia prior to the start of the games. The training camp included psychological preparations.[4] The start of the men's team was Robert Crestani. His ability to throw the ball and his offensive tactics helped the team remain competitive. Other key players for the team included Warren Lawton and Gerrard Gosens. These three players were on the court for almost the whole competition.[4] In pool play, they beat Italy 5–2, the Czech Republic 7–0, the Netherlands 3–2. They drew with Germany 3–3 and Slovenia 4–4. In the Qualification round, they lost to Finland 1–4, drew with Spain 3–3 and lost to Canada 1–3. In the medal elimination round, they lost to Canada 2–3. In the bronze medal match, they lost to Spain 2–6.[4] Australia's win over Italy is important in the team's history because the Italian team was ranked number one in the world coming into the Paralympic Games.[4]

World championships competition

At the 1998 IBSA World Goalball Championships held in Madrid, Spain, the Australian team finished ninth.[2]

2018 Malmö

Athletes for the event are: Sam Byrne (Victoria), Jon Horsburgh (Queensland), Daniel Morrish (Western Australia), Daniel Pritchard (Victoria), Issac Toppo (New South Wales), and Thanh Tu (Western Australia). Head coach is Greg Scott (Queensland), assistant coach and manager Robyn Stephensen (Queensland), and physiotherapist Sarah Kelly.[5]

Other competitions

At the 2017 IBSA Goalball Asia-Pacific Regional Championships, held in Thailand, 21–26 August 2017, the Storm attained fourth place.[6]

See also

References
  1. "History". Goalball Australia. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. Australian Paralympic Committee 1999, p. 22
  3. "Final Ranking in Paralympic Games". Madrid, Spain: International Blind Sports Association. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  4. Australian Paralympic Federation 1996, p. 30
  5. "Australian Teams for 2018 IBSA Goalball World Championships". Goalball Australia. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  6. "Aussies in Thailand". Goalball Australia. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.

Bibliography
  • Australian Paralympic Committee (September 1999). "Goalball – Men". Annual Report – 1999. Sydney, Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee.
  • Australian Paralympic Federation (1996). "Golden days of Atlanta : Xth Paralympic Games Atlanta, Georgia, August 15–25, 1996". Sydney. OCLC 222120061. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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