14-20 September UK Coaching Week 2020

SDS wishes to share some great coaching opportunities and recognise coaches during #CoachingWeek.


UKCoaching is offering some great opportunities, to view more click here.

  • discounted selected online classrooms until the end of September, including ‘Coaching Children’ and ‘Understanding Unconscious Bias’. This means you can take part in these live, engaging and interactive online classrooms for £20 (usually £30). Don’t miss out!
  • Instagram Live: Learn from Some Greats of Coaching

This weekend join us for Instagram Lives with:

Judy Murray  – Friday 18 September,  6pm

Mel Marshall  – Saturday 19 September,  9:30am

Toni Minichiello  – Sunday 20 September,  10:30am


A brand new series of online learning for the boccia community commencing later this month. This schedule of CPD initially runs from September to March, and aims to support learning and development.The content themes range from coaching, officiating, classification, boccia equipment, athlete experiences and more. All sessions are packaged as 60-90 minute online interactive workshops and there is no cost to attend To view the full list of sessions and to book online, click here.


Wednesday, 12 November 2020 7- 8pm
Classification in Disability Swimming

This online workshop, delivered by Paul Wilson, Disability Performance Manager at Scottish Swimming will:

  • introduce participants to disability swimming classification.
  • reference classification systems used at Scottish, uk and international level for swimming,
  • address swimming classification processes and procedures.

To book click here.


Celebrating Coaches during #CoachingWeek

SDS is delighted to be able to thank some great coaches during #UKCoachingWeek who provide so many opportunities and are staying connected with participants in different and creative ways during the phased return to sport. Coaches contribute so much to making sport happen at a local, regional and national level and today, SDS would like to spotlight one such coach – Peter McGuire….

Peter began his sporting journey as a player back in 2005, when he played his first game of boccia and fell in love with the sport. He reached the pinnacle of his playing career when he represented UK at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Two years later he began his coaching pathway when he achieved his UKCC level 1 and started to support Jenny Nethery, as a coach with the West of Scotland club. Peter has continued to increase his coaching opportunities, and before the Covid 19 pandemic, Peter was coaching 5 times a week at a range of boccia sessions and clubs to different ages and ability levels from recreational players to ones on the talent development programme. He relishes the variety and challenges presented by players of different ages and stages and in 2020, he was appointed as a coach to the Scottish National Boccia squad, moving him one step closer to his dream of coaching at a Paralympics.

In 2016, Peter successfully gained his UKCC level 2 Boccia qualification and he continues to develop and evolve as a coach by attending ongoing learning opportunities for example the SGBs L2+ course, workshops, coaching conferences and in April 2019 he gained a place on the UK Boccia Coach Advance Programme.

Not only does Peter coach, but as a volunteer, he is Chair of the Glasgow Gladiators sports club providing wheelchair users sporting opportunities in powerchair football and boccia. He also is a committee member of South Lanarkshire Disability Sport branch and when he has a spare moment he is an active member of the Scottish Power Football Association committee.

Peter is a truly remarkable volunteer and provides so many enriching sports opportunities for many people. Thank you, Peter and all the coaches who work so tirelessly to make sport happen.