Australia women's national goalball team
is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Australia commenced its involvement in the sport in 1980. Its women's team has completed in trans-Tasman competitions, the IBSA World Goalball Championships, and the :Category:Goalball at the Summer Paralympics|Paralympic Games.
About 2015, the women's squad adopted the name 'Aussie Belles', whilst the men's squad became 'Aussie Storm'.
Training
In 1998 and 1999, the University of Western Sydney's Macarthur Department of Sport Studies was active in helping the team develop and implement a training program. This training was implemented around Geoff Pearce and Oatsy Tremayne's book Psychological and Physical Training Programs of Goalballers.Paralympic Games competition
1996 Atlanta
The women's Australian team did not have as much experience as other teams in the 1996 Paralympics. European teams had competed against each other in the lead up to the games. This gave them an advantage as they knew their opponents strengths and weaknesses. The Australian women had several injuries during the Paralympics. Sarah Kennedy injured herself in training, which limited her mobility. Australia lost all but one match in 1996. They lost to Spain 0–1, to Sweden 0–4, to Denmark 1–5, to Germany 0–2 and to the USA 0–3. Australia's sole victory came against Korea, where they won 2–0. Australia finished as the last team in the competition based on goals for and against as they had a record of 3–16. The 0–1 loss to Finland was considered impressive by goalball followers because Finland won a silver medal.2000 Sydney
Paralympian athletes: Penny Bennett, Kerrie-ann King, Jo Ruba, Robyn Stephens.Officials: Terry Kenaghan.
The women's team finished eighth.
2004 Athens
Australia did not qualify.2008 Beijing
Australia did not qualify.2012 London
Paralympian athletes: Jennifer Blow, Meica Christensen, Tyan Taylor, Nicole Esdaile, Rachel Henderson, Michelle Rzepecki.Officials: Peter Corr, Georgina Kenaghan, Eliza Kwan.
The team went into the Games ranked eighth in the world and was the first Australian goalball team to qualify for the Paralympic sport since Atlanta in 1996. It competed in Group B against China, United States, Sweden, Japan and Canada. The Australian men's team did not qualify after losing the Africa Oceania Goalball Regional Championships 5–4 against Algeria.
Results
;Group play2016 Rio
Paralympian athletes:Jennifer Blow, Nicole Esdaile, Meica Horsburgh, Raissa Martin, Michelle Rzepecki, Tyan Taylor.Officials: Peter Corr, Robert Vogt.
Australian women's team originally failed to qualify after finishing third at the IBSA Goalball Asia Pacific Championships in Hangzhou, China.Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics#cite note-goalball-15| Australian men's team failed to qualify after finishing fifth at the IBSA Goalball Asia Pacific Championships in Hangzhou, China.Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics#cite note-16| Following the re-allocation of Russia's spot, Australia's women found themselves getting a last minute invite to Rio. Australia's women enter the tournament ranked ninth in the world.Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics#cite note-17|
Results
World championships competitions
The team has also competed at the 2006 IBSA World Goalball Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, and in 2014 at Espoo, Finland.1986 Roermond
The 1986 IBSA World Goalball Championships were held in Roermond, the Netherlands. The team was one of ten teams participating, and they finished eighth overall. The 1998 World Championships were held in Madrid, Spain. The team was one of eleven teams participating, and they finished tenth overall.1998 Madrid
The national team finished tenth at the 1998 IBSA World Goalball Championships held in Madrid, Spain.2010 Sheffield
The Australian women's national goalball team had a top eight finish at the 2010 World Championships in Sheffield, England. The national team had not played in an international competition for two years starting around 2008 until the 2010 Championships.2018 Malmö
Athletes for the event are: Jennifer Blow, Meica Christensen, Nikita Grosser, Alison Jones, Michelle Rzepecki, and Brodie Smith. Head coach is Peter Corr, assistant coach and manager Simon Smith, and sports masseuse Kerri Caruso.Goal scoring by competition
| Player | Goals | Competition | Notes | Ref |
| Ness Murby | 7 | 2007 IBSA World Championships and Games | ||
| Meica Christensen | 4 | 2007 IBSA World Championships and Games | ||
| Erin Conyard | 1 | 2007 IBSA World Championships and Games |
Competitive history
At the 2017 IBSA Goalball Asia-Pacific Regional Championships, held in Thailand, 21–26 August 2017, the Belles returned to Australia with the bronze medal.The table below contains individual game results for the team in international matches and competitions.
| Year | Event | Opponent | Date | Venue | Team | Team | Winner | Ref |
| 2007 | IBSA World Championships and Games | 31 July | Brazil | 1 | 4 | |||
| 2007 | IBSA World Championships and Games | 1 August | Brazil | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2007 | IBSA World Championships and Games | 2 August | Brazil | 5 | 1 | |||
| 2007 | IBSA World Championships and Games | 3 August | Brazil | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2007 | IBSA World Championships and Games | 4 August | Brazil | 9 | 3 |