Goalball Rules of the Game
Senior 6 · Physical Education
Goalball Rules of the Game
Lesson 1 of 3
25 min
Run a hand along any line of a goalball court and you will feel a small ridge. Under the top layer of tape lies a string 3 mm thick, so a player wearing blacked-out eyeshades can find the lines by touch. Every marking on the court is there for that reason: to tell a player who cannot see where they are. In Senior 1 to Senior 3 you learned to throw, block and play goalball as a team. In this unit you learn the rules as a referee must know them, using the IBSA Goalball Rules and Regulations 2025, which the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) put into force on 1 January 2025. This lesson covers the court and its zones, the goals, the ball, the eyeshades and the structure of a game.
Definition
Team area: the area 6 m long and 9 m wide in front of each goal. It is made of two sections 3 m long: the orientation area, next to the goal, which holds the tactile orientation lines, and the landing area in front of it.
High ball line: the line 6 m from a team's goal line, at the front of its team area. It counts as part of the team area.
Neutral area: the middle 6 m of the court, divided in two by the centre line.
Eyeshades: goggles that fully cover the eyes so that no player can use vision. Eye patches: adhesive gauze worn under the eyeshades at major championships.
Sport class: the group a player is placed in after a medical and visual assessment. IBSA uses B1, B2 and B3; B1 players have the least sight.
The court is a rectangle 18.0 m long and 9.0 m wide (± 0.05 m), measured to the outside edges of the lines, and it is divided every 3 m along its length into six areas. All lines are 5 cm wide, taped, with the string underneath. Nothing else may be marked on the court.
| Area | Distance from the team's own goal line | What the rules use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation area | 0 to 3 m | Where defenders take up their positions, using the orientation lines to find them |
| Landing area | 3 to 6 m | Part of the team area: a thrown ball must first touch the floor in the thrower's team area, on or before the high ball line |
| Neutral area | 6 to 12 m | A thrown ball must touch the floor at least once here; no player defends from here |
| Centre line | 9 m | Divides the two halves; a team must get the ball back across it within 10 seconds of first touching it |
The team bench areas are off the court: 4.0 m long and 3.0 m deep, one on each side of the officials' table, at least 3.0 m from the side line, with the end nearest the goal in line with the goal line. Teams change ends, and benches, at half time.
| Item | Rule (IBSA 2025) |
|---|---|
| Goals | Inside measurements 9.0 m wide and 1.3 m high, at least 0.5 m deep; rigid crossbar; posts and crossbar round or elliptical, no more than 0.15 m in diameter; posts stand just outside the side lines, level with the back edge of the goal line |
| Ball | Diameter 24 to 25 cm; circumference 75.5 to 78.5 cm; mass 1.250 kg ± 0.050 kg; natural rubber, blue, with a knobbed surface; 4 sound holes in each half and 2 bells inside |
| Eyeshades | Worn by every player on court from the eyeshade check at the start of each half to its end; no glasses or contact lenses; at IBSA and Paralympic events, eye patches under eyeshades that have a nose cover |
| Hearing aids | Not allowed on the field of play |
| Clothing and padding | Identical team jerseys numbered 1 to 19; padding may not stick out more than 10 cm from the body |
| Team | 3 players on court and up to 3 substitutes, plus up to 3 staff; no more than 9 people in the bench area. A team that cannot start with 3 players, or is left with one eligible player, forfeits |
| Players | Male and female categories; for IBSA events every player holds a B1, B2 or B3 sport class |
Why does everyone wear eyeshades? A B3 player may see shapes and light; a B1 player may see nothing at all. Covering every player's eyes removes that difference, so the contest is decided by hearing, touch, positioning and teamwork. That is also why a player who deliberately moves their eyeshades or patches to see can be banned by IBSA for up to two years.
Worked example
Worked example 1: is this ball legal? Before a tournament, an official measures a ball. Its circumference is 77.0 cm and its mass is 1.32 kg. May it be used?
Worked example
Worked example 2: how much tape does a court need? A school marks a full court. How much tape is needed for the court lines and orientation lines?
Video: "A guide to Goalball presented by Toyota", Canadian Paralympic Team. As you watch, name each area of the court the ball crosses, and notice that every player on court wears eyeshades.
Tip
Remember the court as 3 + 3 + 6 + 3 + 3. Orientation, landing, neutral, landing, orientation. The high ball line is always 6 m from the thrower's own goal line, and it belongs to the team area.
Warning
Common mistakes. The goal is the full 9 m width of the court, not a small net in the middle. The centre line is not the high ball line: they are 3 m apart. Partially sighted players do not play without eyeshades: every player on court wears them. Safety: the ball weighs about 1.25 kg and is thrown hard at players lying on the floor, so school games need padding for the hips, knees and elbows, and the floor must be smooth and clean.
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
