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Scoring

A goal (one point) is awarded to the attacking team every time they get the ball past the opponent's goal line. At the end of a game, the team with the most points is the winner and if both teams are tied, two additional three-minute overtime periods are played for a golden goal.

Rules

These rules are taken from Goalball UK, the national governing body for goalball in the United Kingdom.

• A coin toss decides which team starts with the ball.
• After a goal, the defending team becomes the attacking team and the game is restarted.
• When the ball is thrown there are four possible scenarios:
  • goal (ball crosses opponent's goal line) — game restarted by the team that conceded the goal
  • block (defending team prevents a goal) — game continues and defending team becomes the attacking team
  • ball thrown over the sideline — game restarted by the other team
  • block out (ball blocked but crosses the sideline) — game restarted by the team that blocked the ball
• The opposition receives the ball if players do not keep to these rules.
• Players can move anywhere within their team zone to throw the ball.
• Underarm throwing or rolling only - no kicking.
• When the ball is thrown, it must land before the end of their team zone.
• No player is to have two consecutive shots.
• To block a shot, a defending player must have at least one body part (such as their hand or foot) touching their mat.
• Players must not remove eyeshades.
• A team has ten seconds from retrieving the ball to take their shot.

Officials

For every game of goalball, two referees (one per half) are appointed to use their judgement when applying the laws and regulations. The referee is supported by four goal judges who are positioned to the side of the goals to ensure all balls are retrieved and placed back at the designated area.

In addition to the referee, a ten-second timer is appointed to ensure that the teams stay within the ten-second shot clock.