The Challenged Athletes Foundation partnered with BORP Adaptive Sports & Recreation for the first time to host a goalball clinic that brought together athletes with visual impairments from across the Bay Area. This collaborative clinic marked an exciting milestone for both organizations and highlighted a shared commitment to expanding access to adaptive sports through strong local partnerships.

BORP is home to an established goalball program that has supported athletes for years. By bringing CAF and BORP athletes together, the clinic created space for learning, mentorship, and connection across experience levels.

Building Community Through Partnership

This first CAF and BORP goalball clinic was designed to meet athletes where they are. For participants new to goalball, the clinic served as an introduction to the sport and a gateway to local programming through BORP. For athletes with prior experience, the clinic offered advanced coaching, skill refinement, and the opportunity to mentor those trying the sport for the first or second time.

With 12 total participants, the turnout reflected strong engagement for a highly specialized sport and community. Half of the athletes arrived with little to no goalball experience, while the remaining participants brought familiarity and confidence that helped elevate the group dynamic. The result was a supportive environment that balanced learning, challenge, and connection.

CAF would like to extend a special thank you to Molly Bloom, Program Manager with BORP Adaptive Sports & Recreation, for her collaboration and leadership in helping bring this partnership and clinic to life.

Discovering Goalball

Goalball is a fast-paced, team-based sport designed specifically for athletes with visual impairments, invented in 1946 to help rehabilitate veterans who had lost their sight during the Second World War. Played on an indoor court with a ball that emits sound, the game encourages communication, spatial awareness, agility, and trust among teammates. Athletes dive, defend, and approach with precision, relying on sound and teamwork to score and protect their goal.

For many participants, the clinic highlighted the dynamic, strategic nature of goalball. The sport challenges athletes physically, sharpens spatial awareness, and builds strong connections through teamwork.

Elite Coaching with Deep Roots in the Sport

Athletes benefited from instruction led by an experienced coaching team with decades of involvement in goalball at the highest levels:

• Joseph Hamilton, two-time Paralympian and silver medalist who competed at the Sydney and Rio Paralympic Games
• Brandon Young, Paralympian who competed at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games
• Jonathan Newman, longtime BORP coach and advocate with more than three decades of commitment to the goalball community

Their collective knowledge created an inclusive learning environment where athletes could develop technique, ask questions, and gain insight into both competitive and recreational pathways within the sport.