Goalball is continuing to grow in South Australia as athletes with vision impairments look for new ways to stay active now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

The Australian state has recorded relatively few cases of the virus in recent months and life is largely back to normal, with some additional hygiene and contact tracing measures in place.

Goalball South Australia has been making the most of their relative freedom, using their portable Goalball Packagoals from Packaworld International to run competition matches, training sessions and ‘Come and Try’ days. ​

Packaworld International was at the Wellington Gold Awards finals in Wellington, New Zealand, on Thursday night as a finalist in the ‘Innovation Gold’ category.

The finals appearance recognised Packaworld’s bocce court project, which saw the introduction of new materials and an improved manufacturing technique for Packaworld’s Competition Packabocce courts. The project also included changes to the court’s disabled access gate so players in wheelchairs could access the playing area more easily.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said the Wellington Gold Awards finals recognition was another high-profile honour for the company.
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One of Western Australia’s most beautiful beaches will come alive with the sounds of beach water polo this summer when Bunbury Water Polo club brings the sport to Australia’s south west.

The club has been trialling a portable water polo field and goals from Packaworld International at its indoor training sessions and plans to use them over the summer at nearby Koombana Bay. The scenic Bay is known for its wildlife, including pods of bottlenose dolphins that frequent the area daily.

​Club president Alice Luscombe says at least four of this year’s regular Tuesday evening senior competition matches will be played by twilight at Koombana Bay from mid-October.

Young Aucklanders have growing aspirations to put New Zealand handball on the world stage. To develop their skills in the Olympic sport, they are using innovative portable goals that allow them to train where and when they want to. 

Over the past year, Auckland Region Handball has purchased 10 portable Handball Packagoals from New Zealand sport innovations company Packaworld International for use at open days and to support a youth development programme in Auckland schools.

Auckland Region Handball Vice President Qassim Helal says the fast-growing sport is immensely popular overseas and provides opportunities for young New Zealand players that more established sports such as rugby and cricket cannot.

A group of masked bocce players relaxes around a portable Packaworld bocce ball court in the backyard of a stylish event venue in Chicago, Illinois. They are in pairs, spaced apart, and each stands alongside their own set of bocce balls – freshly cleaned and glistening with soapy water from buckets that take pride of place at the head of each court.

After months without bocce because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, these players are learning how to enjoy the sport they love safely. It’s slightly different to what they have known in the past, but the return to play measures introduced by the American Bocce Company mean organised leagues are again possible.

“The biggest challenge has been navigating new information, evolving protocol, and city-wide uncertainty”, says American Bocce Company President Alex Gara.

A project to improve the durability and accessibility of Packaworld’s best-selling inflatable bocce ball court has been announced as a finalist in this year’s Wellington Gold Awards.

The project – one of six finalists in the ‘Innovation Gold’ category – saw the introduction of new materials and an improved manufacturing technique for Packaworld’s Competition Packabocce courts. It also resulted in a re-imagining of the court’s disabled access gate to ensure players in wheelchairs could enter and exit the playing area more easily.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said it was an honour to see the bocce court project gaining recognition in his hometown of Wellington.

In the small Caribbean nation of Puerto Rico, a keen band of goalball players is chasing the dream of playing at an internationally recognised tournament.

It’s been more than a decade since the country’s national team has had goalball goals to train and play with, but their fortunes are finally changing as they await delivery of portable goalball goals, knee pads and blackout eyeshades from Packaworld International.

The goals were purchased by the Puerto Rico Blind Sports Federation and will allow the national team to train in a real match environment.

“Packaworld is going to make possible our biggest dream,” says Puerto Rican national goalball coach Wellington De Luna.

Bocce ball has been undergoing a quiet revolution over the past few years as new portable courts allow enthusiasts to take the sport to exciting new locations.

No longer are players limited to parks and venues that have existing courts made of wood or stone. High quality inflatable courts made from heavy duty thermoplastic have allowed a new generation of players to transform almost any environment into a bocce lover’s dream.

Many bars, music festivals, breweries, luxury resorts and even cruise ships have become bocce hotspots, using portable courts to run pop-up events and social leagues. Some of the settings for these events are hard to believe – from bocce ball on the decks of cruise ships to high rolling in the open air at a Chicago whiskey bar, the modern game of bocce is reaching new heights.