A sport for people with additional needs is in need of additional funding.

Goalball, a unique mix of soccer and basketball for visually impaired competitors, is expected to be one of the more popular events at the Toronto Parapan Am Games from Aug. 7 to 15. That exposure is likely to boost the sport at the grassroots level for the game that seems to be outgrowing its financial support.

The nets span the baseline of an average basketball court. Teams of three alternate between hurling and saving the ball. The ball has the density of a light medicine ball with the addition of bells on the inside to aid in tracking it.

Players are in constant communication with each other, letting teammates know where to defend or attack. “You need to be aware of where your players are on the court and where the other players are, where the ball is going,” says Simon Richard, a veteran of the national goalball program.

They reset themselves by taking a page out of legendary NHL goalie Patrick Roy’s repertoire by touching the goal posts to reorient to the court.

Each shot on goal comes is fired at high speed. Offensive strategy is a mix of precision and power as each team tries to put the ball through the defenders. On defence, the players look to cut down the angles like goaltenders in hockey or soccer.

Imagine doing this all without being able to see a thing. Each player wears vision-blocking goggles to level the playing field for athletes of all visual abilities.

Who can play is an important part of any parasport. This holds especially true in games for people with visual impairments, as it encompasses a wide spectrum.

“Anybody can play goalball, whether you have sight like me, sight like Simon, sight like Oliver, there’s different categories,” says Parsons.

Parsons has Stargardt’s disease, a macular degeneration that he has had since he was 12. Richard has aniridia, which means he does not have irises. Pye has retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that slowly depletes the healthy cells in the retina.

You have to legally blind to play in international competition, but non-blind athletes are eligible to play in other matches.