Australian goalball's proud history
A national goalball competition has been held in Australia annually since 1981 for senior men and senior women. A junior/youth division was added in 1993, though not included every year due to lack of numbers. The year 2011 saw the start of the 3.5 day national championship use two halls for competition. Numbers of teams and players in each division have fluctuated through the years, and from 2015, saw four divisions: mens, womens, youth and junior divisions.
Our milestones
- Goalball commenced in Australia in 1980, in NSW and Victoria; with Queensland in 1982, the Australian Capital Territory in 2000, and Western Australia in 2010.
- Meetings were called in 1986 and 1987 to promote and discuss the formation of a national goalball association and a steering committee, headed by Nick Gleeson from Victoria, was formed on 4 April 1987. The first committee of the Australian National Goalball Association (ANGA) was formed in January 1988 with Bailey Compton (NSW) as president. The name was changed to Goalball Australia in 1999.
- There are four current full members of Goalball Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia. Tasmania joined in 1991 but the membership did not continue. ACT joined as an associate member in 2001.
- Goalball Australia (formerly ANGA) joined ABSF (Australian Blind Sports Federation) in 1988. ABSF is now Blind Sports Australia (BSA).
- The first international goalball tournament organised in Australia was the Oceania Goalball Championships in Sydney in 1989.
- The first Australian goalball team to compete in a World Championships was in 1986, in Roermond, Nederlands.
- The first Australian goalball team to compete in a Paralympic Games was in 1980 in Amsterdam, Nederlands.
- New Zealand entered a men’s team in the 2003 National Championships in Canberra, being the first international team to compete in the Australian Championships.
- At the 2009 annual general meeting of Goalball Australia, Terry Kenaghan received the first 'Life membership' in Australian Goalball 'for his single handed efforts in bringing goalball to Australia and his continuing work over more than 20 years'.
- Creation of ascribing a player number for senior Australian representative athletes in 2021.
Past national championships
| Year | No. | Host | Location | Men (1st, 2nd) |
Women (1st, 2nd) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1st | NSW | Sydney | NSW | NSW |
| 1982 | 2nd | NSW | NSW | ||
| 1983 | 3rd | NSW | NSW | ||
| 1984 | 4th | Vic | Melbourne (Melbourne University) | NSW | NSW |
| 1985 | 5th | ACT | Canberra | NSW, Vic | NSW, Vic |
| 1986 | 6th | SA | Adelaide | NSW, Vic | NSW, Vic |
| 1987 | 7th | NSW | Sydney (NSW Academy, Narrabeen) | NSW, Vic | NSW, Vic |
| 1988 | 8th | Vic | Melbourne (Monash University, Clayton) | NSW, Vic | NSW |
| 1989 | 9th | Qld | Brisbane (QE II Stadium) | NSW, Vic | Vic, NSW |
| 1990 | 10th | Vic | Melbourne (Lilydale Youth Club) | Vic, NSW | NSW, Vic |
| 1991 | 11th | Qld | Gold Coast (Labrador State School) | Vic, Qld | NSW, Vic |
| 1992 | 12th | NSW | Sydney (Hornsby Recreation Centre) | Vic, Qld | Vic, Qld |
| 1993 | 13th | Vic | Melbourne (Lilydale Youth Club) | Qld, Vic | Vic, NSW |
| 1994 | 14th | Qld | Brisbane (Chandler Sports Complex) | Vic, Qld | Vic-Q, NSW |
| 1995 | 15th | NSW | Sydney (Parklea) | Vic, Qld | Qld, NSW |
| 1996 | 16th | Vic | Ballarat (Ballarat Grammar, Wendouree) | Qld, NSW | NSW, Qld |
| 1997 | 17th | Qld | Brisbane (Nudgee College) | Qld, NSW | Vic-Q, NSW |
| 1998 | 18th | NSW | Sydney (University of Western Sydney, Cumberland) | Vic, NSW | NSW, Vic-Q |
| 1999 | 19th | Vic | Melbourne (Vision Foundation, Coburg) | Qld, NSW | Vic-Q, NSW |
| 2000 | 20th | Qld | Brisbane (Redlands PCYC) | Vic, NSW | |
| 2001 | 21st | NSW | Sydney (Tara Anglican School for Girls) | Vic, Qld | NSW, Qld-Vic |
| 2002 | 22nd | Vic | Melbourne (Xavier College, Hawthorne) | Qld, Vic | NSW-Vic, Qld |
| 2003 | 23rd | ACT | Canberra (Australian Institute of Sport) | Qld, Vic | Qld, NSW |
| 2004 | 24th | Qld | Gold Coast (Cararra football club) | Qld, NZ | NSW, Qld |
| 2005 | 25th | NSW | Sydney (Penrith Panthers Leagues Club) | Vic, Qld | NSW-Vic, Qld |
| 2006 | 26th | ACT | Canberra (Belconnen Basketball Stadium) | Qld, Vic | Qld, Vic-NSW |
| 2007 | 27th | Vic | Melbourne (Wesley College, Prahan) | Qld, Composite | |
| 2008 | 28th | Qld | Brisbane (Southbank TAFE College) | Qld, Auckland | Qld, Auckland |
| 2009 | 29th | Vic | Melbourne (Kew State High School) | Qld, NSW | Qld, NSW |
| 2010 | 30th | Qld | Brisbane (Lang Park PCYC) | Qld, NSW/ACT | Qld, NSW |
| 2011 | 31st | NSW | Sydney (Parramatta, The King’s School) | Qld, Vic | Qld, NSW |
| 2012 | 32nd | Vic | Melbourne (Collingwood College) | NSW, Qld | Qld, NSW |
| 2013 | 33rd | WA | Perth (Mercy College) | Qld, NSW | Qld, NSW |
| 2014 | 34th | SA | Adelaide (Brighton College) | NSW, Qld | NSW, SA |
| 2015 | 35th | Qld | Ipswich (Ipswich Girls Grammar School) | WA, Vic | Qld, NSW |
| 2016 | 36th | NSW | Sydney (Parramatta, The King’s School) | Qld, NSW | NSW, Qld |
| 2017 | 37th | Vic | Melbourne (Collingwood College) | ||
| 2018 | 38th | WA | Perth (Perth Modern School) | ||
| 2019 | 39th | SA | Adelaide (Parafield Gardens) | ||
| 2020 | — | (Qld) | Not held due to the global coronavirus pandemic. | — | — |
| 2021 | — | (NSW) | Not held due to the global coronavirus pandemic. | — | — |
| 2022 | 40th | Vic | Melbourne (University of Melbourne Sports Centre) | Qld, NSW | NSW, SA |
| 2023 | 41st | WA | Perth (Saint Mary's Anglican School, Karrinyup) | NSW | NSW |
| 2024 | 42nd | SA | Adelaide (Parafield Gardens) | Qld, NSW | SA, NSW |
| 2025 | 43rd | NSW | tba |