Woman brings Paralympic sport to home town

A woman who discovered the Paralympic sport goalball at college is launching a club in her home town after discovering there was none she could join.

Leah Seabourne, from Woking, said she was not sporty at school but was introduced to goalball – a team sport designed for blind and partially sighted people – while studying at the Royal National College for the Blind in Herefordshire.

Seabourne said: "I played there for a few years and then I've come back home and we didn't have a club round here, so that's how I got into starting my own."

She has set up Surrey Goalball Club, which held a taster session at Woking High School in February, and hopes to announce further sessions in coming months.

Goalball is played on a volleyball-sized court with all players wearing blackout eyeshades, so everyone competes on equal terms.

Each team attempts to throw the ball - which has holes with bells inside - into the opponents' net.

Seabourne, who is blind but has some sight, said: "You get used to tracking where it is."

The ball is heavy, weighing 1.25kg (2.76 lbs), she said, but there are lighter balls for children to use, making the sport open to all ages.

Seabourne said: "I've seen people playing in their 50s, so it's quite a range.

At a competitive level, the game is fast-paced and dynamic, with players having to throw the ball in under 10 seconds, but Seabourne said learners could slow it down.

Seabourne, who is also a coach, said the sport taught people spatial awareness and orientation - "things that are really important for visually-impaired people in daily life".

She added: "It's really amazing to see people getting into it, learning new things and sharing the same passion for it.

"I enjoy teaching. I enjoy showing people new things."

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