Court and Ball
Rules to play Goal Ball
Court and Ball
International Blind Sports Federation rules require the field of play to be 18m long by 9m wide about 19.7 yards by 9.8 yards.Goals span the width of the pitch.The court is divided into six even sections 3 by 9 m. At either end, just in front of the goal, is the team area. Beyond that is each teams landing zone. The middle two sections are collectively referred to as the neutral zone.
The lines of the court are made by placing tape over lengths of twine. This makes the line both visual for officials and tactile for players. The team area and landing zone, including the boundary, goal lines and high ball lines, are always marked in this way. Furthermore, the team area has six hash marks three at the front, one on either side, and one on the goal line to assist with player orientation.
The ball weighs 1.25 kg about 2.76 pounds and has eight holes and noise bells contained within. The balls circumference is around 76 cm about 30 inches.At Paralympic level the ball has been clocked leaving the hand in excess of 60 kph. Despite this, through training and some padding, there are very few injuries.