EGCA publishes a monthly news package on its website covering what is happening in EGCA competitions and within the association in general. This newsletter helps athletes, coaches, referees and officials, club representatives, as well as followers and fans of European club goalball, stay up to date with the great things taking place in club goalball across Europe.
You can find all upcoming EGCA events here
National league & Championships events can be found here.
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE EXPANDS – HOST APPLICATION FOR THE 2027 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OPENS
The EGCA Competition Committee has decided to expand the maximum number of participants in this year’s Women’s Champions League tournament from the previous 10 clubs to 14 clubs. This decision is based on the high level of preliminary interest in the tournament to be played in Rostock, Germany, on 20–23 August. For next year, qualifying stage(s) are also being planned for the Women’s Champions League. Registration for the Rostock Women’s Champions League will open on 15 February and close on 20 April.
The call for hosts for the 2027 Champions League will open on 1 March and remain open until the end of April. The hosts and tournament dates for next year will be confirmed by the end of May. The upcoming host application seeks organizers for both Men’s and Women’s Champions League qualifying stages in February–April as well as for the Final Stage in September–October.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEASON KICKS OFF IN ODIVELAS – BARCELONA QUALIFYING STAGE ALSO IN FEBRUARY
The biggest Champions League season of all time is just around the corner as the first qualifying stage will be played on 20–22 February in Odivelas, Portugal, organized by Clube Atlético e Cultural. The event’s official website can be found here. The website includes the tournament schedule, team line-ups, officiating referees, and much more information about the event.
We will soon also publish the website for the qualifying stage to be played in Barcelona, Spain, on 26 February – 1 March, which will be available here.
The third and final qualifying stage will be played in Niš, Serbia, on 26–29 March.
Each qualifying stage will feature eight teams, with the top three from each event advancing to the season-culminating Final Stage, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, on 17–20 September.
YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER THREAT OF RESCHEDULING
The EGCA Youth (U23) Championships are scheduled to be played in Denmark on 19–22 November, but following IBSA’s announcement that the Youth World Championships will take place immediately after these dates, it is likely that we will need to move the Youth Championships to an earlier date, or at least open event registration very early to ensure sufficient participation. We aim to provide more information on this matter as soon as the situation becomes clearer (further details will be provided no later than the March newsletter).
EGCA WhatsApp Community
EGCA has launched a WhatsApp community to enable more comprehensive, interactive, and community-oriented communication. Within the community you will find dedicated groups for each competition, as well as a general discussion group, a Fan Zone for following EGCA competitions, and a Projects & Innovations group dedicated to new ideas, projects, and innovations.
You can join the community via this link.
PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT – Tablet4Goalball – Technology for Inclusive Sport
We are proud to announce the launch of Tablet4Goalball, an Erasmus+ Sport project dedicated to enhancing accessibility, participation, and the spectator experience in Goalball for people with visual impairments.
The project focuses on the development and pilot testing of an innovative touchscreen tablet with tactile feedback, allowing visually impaired athletes and spectators to better understand game dynamics in real time. Built on existing research and IoT-based applications, Tablet4Goalball adapts cutting-edge technology to the unique needs of Goalball, a Paralympic sport.
The project brings together sports organisations, researchers, and Goalball clubs from across Europe to co-design, test, and evaluate this solution in real sporting environments.
Our goal:
To promote inclusion, equal access to sport, and digital innovation, while laying the groundwork for future applications of this technology in other sports.
Project partners: Alma Sports Development, Technical University of Crete, European Goalball Club Association, RGC Hansa Rostock and Old Power.
Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
More current EGCA news can be found on our social media channels and in our newly established WhatsApp community. All for goalball!