Midlothian’s Samantha Gough had only been involved with the sport of Goalball for just over a year, before COVID and the subsequent lockdown struck however during that time she had made significant strides and is viewed as a player with huge potential.
Bonnyrigg based youngster Gough became involved in the sport after being introduced at a Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Visual Impairment Sport Engagement Day in March 2019 where she was given the opportunity to try Goalball alongside a range of other sports. It was immediately evident that she had lots of ability in the sport.
Fast forward to March 2020 and Samantha, a pupil at Lasswade High School, is now an established member of the #GoalballFamily and is seen to have the potential to represent Great Britain in the near future. During this time, Gough has demonstrated dedication, travelling long distances (often to England) to train, compete and attend development camps. In addition to playing the sport, Samantha has also gained her Goalball Leaders coaching qualification, using this to assist SDS with grassroots delivery in local schools across the East of Scotland, including Blackhall Primary School in Edinburgh where a regular session has recently been established.
Exactly a year after initially trying the sport, Samantha was selected to attend a training camp specifically for developing Intermediate and Elite players. This camp also included a tournament which saw Samantha test herself against three players from the GB Woman’s Squad and also provided an opportunity to highlight her undoubted talent to the observing GB Woman’s Coach.
This is a remarkable rise through the sport in little over a year, taking the time out due to COVID into account, and demonstrates the opportunities available for local individuals should they wish to pursue a sporting pathway. Samantha was named as top female goal scorer at Intermediate & Beginner level for the 2019/2020 season – a remarkable achievement for a novice in the sport.
Samantha is also an active member of the Scottish Disability Sport Young Person’s Sport Panel, having been selected at the end of 2020.