Aussie Belles star Brittnee Watson has reflected on her life-changing experiences representing her country on the international scene - as she targets appearing at the Paralympic Games.
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Originally hailing from Nagambie, the 32-year-old winger is one of the leading lights of the Victorian Goalball Association, which she represents in her role as vice-president of its committee.
Alongside her on-court responsibilities, Watson is now turning her attentions towards inspiring the goalball stars of tomorrow.
The former Goulburn Valley resident has shared her story in order to encourage youngsters to not give up on their dreams, irrespective of their vision challenges.
Goalball, which was first developed in Austria in order to help rehabilitate visually impaired World War II veterans, has been part of the Paralympic Games events program since the 1976 edition in Toronto, Canada.
Half a century later, Victoria is very much an epicentre of this particular pastime - with the Australian Women’s side currently boasting a top-15 world ranking.
The Victorian Goalball Association took part in the Good Friday Appeal this year, with nearly 500 people trying their hand at the sport at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on April 3.
“I was really impressed with the eagerness of all of the kids, from 10am to 5pm it was non-stop with kids coming in to play the mini-goalball that we had,” Watson said.
“We roughly worked it out that the games ran from one to two minutes so we ran close to 250 goalball games so close to 500 people gave it a try.
“Every single one of them put the blindfold on - nobody wanted to cheat and put a vision simulator on.
“Once they put the eye-shades on, they pick it up so quickly and they think ‘yes, I can do this’.”
As the land down under prepares to host the Paralympic Games in Brisbane in six years’ time, Paralympics Australia (PA) and the Victorian Institute of Sport has launched its groundbreaking VIS Para Sport Unit Accelerate Program initiative in order to provide youngsters with a springboard to success on home soil.
“This is for potential athletes who are not categorized yet for goals such as goalball,“ she explained.
“So people are getting access to strength and conditioning coaches and nutritionists, as well as sports psychologists - all for free through the program when they are accepted in.”
Essentially, sports coaches from different Paralympic disciplines help to scout out potential recruits in a bid to find them a sport to work towards for the Paralympic Games in 2032.
“It’s a really amazing program, one of the things I always hear people say is ‘everybody unites’, no matter what disability you go in for, it’s always fun.
“At this stage, I do my sessions with eight other people and I have really good friends - one person plays wheelchair basketball, another is a runner.
“So you get to hear everyone’s struggles, not just in the blind community, and realize we all have the same ones!”
The sport itself involves three players per side attempting to throw the ball into the opposing team’s net - all while being blindfolded at the same time; utilizing the tactile lines on the court to ascertain one’s position.
With the Aussie Belles having participated at the Paralympics at London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2026 and Tokyo 2020 (2021), their sights are now set on qualification for Los Angeles 2028.
“We’re now at the stage of getting our international experience so we get that mental capability - because no matter what anyone says, goalball is 50 percent mental and 50 percent physical,” Watson said.
“I think the Belles are now at that stage where we are building that mental strength to compete at that level.“
“It’s been amazing for my own mental health and I’m feeling better in myself - because of that I’m feeling probably the fittest in my mind and body that I have in a long time.
“I lost my sight when I was 22 and it took until I started goalball and started this journey for me to be happy with the path I’m taking.
“I can actually say going blind is actually the best thing that happened in my life because I potentially get to wear green and gold and represent my nation.
“If I was sighted, able-bodied, I wouldn’t have this.”
Watson has only been playing goalball professionally for two years with her first international experience having come just months later in Espoo, Finland - where she scored her first goal on the big stage.
She previously played blind cricket before finding goalball, something that soon led to her being invited to play for the Aussie Belles after her first camp.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, a crazy ride - it wasn’t even two years ago that I never thought I’d be where I am now,” Watson said.
“I felt very privileged on my first international trip to have scored a goal, I can’t go past that in terms of my best experience so far.
“But going back to the community side of things, seeing people in the same situation from other countries jumping on the goalball court and being competitive was my other highlight.”
“I thought my life was heading in a different way and then vision impairment came up and stopped that from happening so it would really make things all worthwhile.“
Prospective Victorian Para athletes from grassroots to elite levels can visit the VIS Para Sport Unit website (Victorian Institute of Sport) to submit an athlete registration form, with organisations also encouraged to register.