International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Goalball is looking for experts to join a new group to help youth development in the sport.

The news follows the appointment of Murray Elbourn as Youth Coordinator to the IBSA Goalball Committee, dedicated to helping countries build their programmes for young players.

The ‘Youth Development World Group’ will be a key part of this growth and create standards in areas such as youth coaching, goalball in schools and targeted training for different age groups.

They will also help define age categories for youth and junior participation, run teacher education clinics for schools, create a structure for local, state/regional, national and international tournaments, help set-up regional talent identification camps and advise on the process for bidding on youth regional and World Championships.

Elbourn, who has established successful youth teams for Australia, said: “IBSA Goalball’s current youth programme has seen many successes over the years and I am excited to continue and progress that work in this dedicated role and through the Youth Development World Group.

“We want to bring the vast amount of expertise that exists within countries together to create a really solid foundation from which we can grow. We are looking for coaches, referees, players and anyone with experience of helping young people into goalball to nominate themselves to be part of this exciting project.”

IBSA Goalball is inviting expressions of interest to be submitted before 4 September. Two representatives from each region will then be appointed to the group.

Meetings will be held virtually every two months, and Elbourn has recruited some university students to assist with actions and administration.

“There is a huge amount of knowledge out there as well as a passion for securing the future of goalball,” Elbourn continued. “Together we can create a really strong youth presence that will raise the standard of the game even further.”

Expressions of interest should be sent to [email protected]

IBSA Goalball's current youth programme includes a World Championships for boys and girls, held every two years, The first edition took place in Colorado Springs, USA, in 2007. The latest youth Worlds were staged in Penrith, Australia, in 2019.