The Fen Tigers Goalball Club recently hosted the European Goalball Club Association (EGCA) Champions League, where all referees wore predominantly black and orange shirts with the Cambridgeshire Freemasons logo to mark the donations made by the Province of Cambridge Charity for Care and Relief.
I wanted to send a huge thank you for the support from The Province of Cambridge Charity for Care and Relief—it really meant a lot to have you there. You were clearly enjoying the day and were inspired by what you saw—much like how I feel every time I engage with the goalball community. I hope you gained a deeper understanding of what we are trying to achieve and the importance of hosting events like the Champions League Tournament. Your support truly helped make the event a huge success, and we are incredibly grateful. We really hope to continue working in partnership with you in the future!
— Emma Evans MBE, Head Coach of the Fen Tigers Goalball Club
Goalball is an exciting indoor Paralympic sport, played indoors by teams of three. A game of attack and defence, the sport was originally devised in 1946 to help rehabilitate soldiers who had lost their sight during the war. It has been played throughout the world ever since, at the highest level, by people who are blind or partially sighted. The idea of the game is to score goals by bowling the ball along the floor, past the opposing team.
After blazing a trail as the first British team in the EGCA Champions League in 2022, the Fen Tigers hosted the 2025 EGCA Champions League. This was the first time that top-flight European club goalball was held on UK soil. The competition was fierce, the atmosphere electrifying, and the sportsmanship exemplary. The Fen Tigers finished in fourth place, with teams from Brussels, Norway and France securing gold, silver and bronze respectively.
Julian Ferries, Assistant Secretary, who attended the event, said:
It was great to be at the tournament and learn more about goalball and to see the impact of the donation we made. Watching the tournament, you can see the game demands immense focus, teamwork, and skill and since the players rely on sound to track the ball, the arena is kept completely silent, adding an intense, suspenseful atmosphere. What makes it so exciting is the combination of strategy and physicality—players dive to block the ball, communicate constantly, and use their senses in remarkable ways. Watching goalball was captivating because you’re not just witnessing athleticism, but also an incredible example of adaptability and precision.
