At the moment we are having the European Week of Sport. Every year from 23 to 30 September, the European Week of Sport promotes more active, healthier lifestyles to millions of people in Europe and beyond.
In the celebration of sport, EGCA wants to
highlight the importance of goalball to provide different opportunities for
sport, competition, active participation and sporty & healthy lifestyle. In
this blog post we will go through what has happened in European club goalball
since the last annual sport week, and what kind of chances have these events
given to goalball people.
SEGL – the Super European Goalball League –
has gained position as a top-level European goalball concept. At the turn of September-October 2021
men’s and women’s finals were played in Portugal: Invasport Ukraine (men) and
Sporting CP (women) celebrated the title. After that the new SEGL season has
started with qualification tournaments, and finals are just around the corner in
Germany in the end of October 2022. The final is expected to be full of quality
and excitement when the real top club teams both in men’s and women’s side are
participating. During this season we are also extremely happy about the new
teams and tournament organisers who have joined SEGL – we hope to get more and
more clubs involved! SEGL promotes the top-level, quality goalball which is
extremely important for the development of this sport. Topsport needs
high-quality club action – and SEGL proves that we are going to the right
direction. SEGL gives teams – both with visually impaired and sighted players –
the chance to compete, challenge and develop themselves in European high-level.
It gives the same opportunity to develop and improve to international referees,
tournament organisers and other stakeholders – without good referees,
facilities and structures this big league wouldn’t work. We can be proud that
we have a structured, annual top-level club goalball league in Europe – and the
work is being done all the time to develop it further!
In 2022, the Euro GP has rolled on with two
tournaments being organised during summertime: one in Greece and another in
Poland. GP tournaments are open, low-threshold events aiming to give a chance
to get international experience. Euro GP is a good place for new teams and
players to jump in, get a taste of competition and enjoy internationality. It
is important to give an opportunity for competition and participation to
everybody, also for those who just started, who don’t otherwise have a chance
to international tournaments, whose level is not so high yet or who cannot or
don’t want to compete in more higher and formal events. In addition to
spreading the joy of sport among all kind of teams and players, Euro GP can
also be a fruitful activity for tournament organisers. Read more from our
earlier blog post where Ionas GC, a club from Greece, shares their experiences:
https://egcavoices.blogspot.com/2022/08/ionas-gc-enjoyed-of-organizing-euro-gp.html
National leagues are the basis of competitive
goalball in Europe. We are happy that there are so many active leagues in
European countries with a lot of teams taking part. And we hope and support the
launching of new national leagues in those areas which don’t yet have one – our
wish and ambitious goal is that goalball will be played in every European
country. When a person starts goalball as a hobby, and finds it fun and
motivating, it is most likely the national league that gives the first taste of
competition and those impressive feelings of winning and loosing. On the other
hand, it is the national league and championship which often remains important
during the whole goalball career. National leagues are the place where new and
experienced teams and players meet, as well as the place of tight fight for the
championship. It is important that there are quality national opportunities for
youth, women and men. National leagues also serve as a springboard for international
activities – both for players, coaches and referees. EGCA aims to promote national
goalball for example by sharing the results, statistics and other event information.
Let’s make the national goalball leagues shine!
In addition to athletic opportunities,
goalball provides many other chances to participate and be active as well. EGCA
activities are possible only thanks to the committed people who give their
contribution because they have the real will to develop our sport. EGCA’s
tournaments as well as the national leagues wouldn’t be possible without many
volunteers working hard during the events. Also our social media, podcasts,
blog posts, statistics and result updates are made in voluntary basis. Doing
this kind of volunteer jobs, people can get the feeling of participation,
belonging and being involved. It’s possible to give a contribution based on a
person’s own interest and skills, and one can also develop new skills and try
new tasks while working around goalball. Huge thanks to each and every
volunteer – and new people are warmly welcome to share their ideas and join to
make European club goalball better.
EGCA wishes very happy European Week of Sport 2022! Let’s celebrate sport and goalball!
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