Praise and Grumble

The two sisters - Jessica and Emily Luke, from North Staffordshire - were were part of the Great Britain team that won the tournament in Denmark, beating the host nation 7-3 in the final.

"This was the first time Great Britain has ever won a Gold medal (in the sport) and we're really pleased our hard work is paying off", says Jessica. "The squad got more funding recently and for the last 2 years we've been regularly training with the national squad, and we're in the gym 3 times a week".

Jessica and Emily together with Anna Sharkey beat Russia in the quarter finals with a golden goal and overcame previous European champions Finland in the semis.

The final was a surprise victory for followers of the sport, because the Danes were Bronze medallists in the Beijing Paralympics.

"There was no way we went in as favourites, although before the tournament we'd shown potential" says Emily. "In the final we gave it everything, we were really impressed (with the way we performed)."

Hear them talking about their win on BBC Radio Stoke....

About the sport

Goalball is a team sport designed for blind and partially sighted athletes in 1946, originally to help the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II veterans.

Players compete in teams of three, and try to throw a basketball-sized ball that has bells inside in it into the opponents' goal. They must use the sound of the bell to judge where the ball is going and stop it going in. All players wear eyeshades to ensure that everyone plays on an equal sight level.

The game is played on an indoor court, with raised markings which players can feel to enable them to determine exactly where they are on court.

Watch our video to see players in action:-

Getting into the sport

Jessica and Emily got involved in the sport from a young age. Jessica says, "I went on an RNIB vacation scheme, it's like a sports activity holiday for visually impaired children who're in mainstream education. It's in the summer holidays, and Goalball was one of the sports on offer. I enjoyed it and set up a team when I got home."

The sisters play regularly in domestic Goalball tournaments which are run by British Blind Sport (BBS) throughout the year. This includes an annual competition called the British Goalball Cup. Separate competitions are run for all levels of Goalball from beginners to experienced and international players.

If you want to get involved Jessica says the team are always on the lookout for new players, although she says you have to have some confidence to play the game.

"It's quite a heavy ball, and it's thrown at you at pace. It takes a lot of guts to play Goalball, so you've got to be someone who's willing to get stuck in and work hard. It's quite a physical game."

If you want to get involved you can contact the British Blind Sport association:-