Category: Boccia

07/10/2025

Women and Girls in Sport: Boccia’s Belle Beau Brown.

By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer

Belle Beau Brown’s journey in boccia may have been a short one to date but it has been one full of enjoyment, socialisation and growth.

Belle Beau (aged 13) first tried boccia at Scottish Disability Sport’s Women and Girls in Boccia event on February 8^th, 2025. 23 women and girls travelled from all over Scotland to Perth (Perth UHI) to take part in the day.

The event provided women and girls with a fantastic introduction to the sport of boccia. Furthermore, it provided the participants with an opportunity to connect and develop relationships with new people whilst being physically active. The social aspect of the sport has been an element that Belle Beau has enjoyed from the start, saying: “I like boccia because I get to meet new people.”

Jamie, Belle’s father, expanded on this: “Belle left the day feeling really happy, it was really good that they all had an opportunity to meet girls in their own age group. Sometimes you can go to an event or competition, and not really meet anyone your own age.”

The Brown family have enjoyed being part of the boccia family and the community spirit it provides.

“You get to meet other people at these groups that are going through similar situations to you, not just with boccia, but at home. It’s good because as parents, we don’t know everything and someone may have gone through something similar. We just converted our bathroom in our house and somebody was doing the same, and we were able to chat about what hoists were good,” Jamie explained.

Since the Women and Girls event, Belle Beau has continued to develop her boccia skills by participating at the ‘Come Play Boccia’ session delivered by Grampian Disability Sport, at Mearns Sports Centre,every Tuesday evening.

Although the Women and Girls event provided Belle Beau and many others with a great opportunity to socialise and meet new people, Belle Beau has had other opportunities through sport to connect with others.

“I met Rebecca at the (Grampian) Parasport Festival and I told her all about boccia,” she said. Together, the girls attend the Tuesday night boccia sessions.

In addition to the weekly sessions, Belle Beau was invited to train with the Tayside Boccia Squad every month, to support her development within the sport.

The sport has proven contagious, with the Brown family regularly picking up a set of balls for a game.

“We were playing in the house yesterday. We have an open plan kitchen and living room, so we like to roll up the carpet and get the boccia balls out,” Jamie said. Although Belle Beau claims to not be competitive, she was quick to add: “I usually beat my brothers.”

The uptake of boccia has had a positive impact on Belle Beau physically, with her dad saying: “When she first started she couldn’t always throw the ball that far and now six months later, she can nearly throw the length of the court. It has definitely helped make her stronger.”

The biggest takeaway from playing boccia though, is not physical. “Boccia makes me feel happy,” said Belle Beau. You cannot put a price on that.

If you would be interested in finding out more about boccia opportunities, you can do so by reaching out to your Regional Development Manager. This manager will be able to provide you with information on local opportunities to get involved as a volunteer, coach, official or player.

Alternatively, you can contact SDS’s Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy, by email: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

23/09/2025

The Boccia Coaching Futures Leading By Example

By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer.

Over the past four years, Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and sportscotland have been embarking on an exciting opportunity for boccia players with high performance experience to join the SDS Performance coaching team on a volunteer coaching apprenticeship.

This opportunity has been made possible through sportscotland’s Coaching Futures programme, which aims to increase the pool of home-grown world class coaches, whilst retaining sports-specific knowledge within Scottish sport.

The Boccia coaching Futures Programme had a cohort of three former players; Peter McGuire and brothers, Scott and Jamie McCowan. All of which have competed nationally and internationally, representing Great Britain and Paralympics GB.

The programme has provided the group with many great opportunities to learn and develop. All of the coaches from the programme have had different highlights. Peter explained that: “A great highlight has been working with the likes of Kayleigh (Kayleigh Brown) and Alex (Alex Medley), where we are helping them to progress to that top level.”

Whereas Scott has enjoyed working closely with Lesley McKenna, part of sportscotland’s Coach Development team. Scott said: “The biggest highlight for me has to be working with Lesley our coach mentor and just having her to bounce ideas off of.”

Jamie added, “I would second that, working with Lesley has been a highlight. I think it is one thing to have good experience and to develop that on the job but to have that outside voice to give you feedback or to ask the right questions in order to get the right answers out of yourself has been very important.”

All of the coaches were interested in joining the programme for different reasons. “I was coaching for a few years before the programme started. What really drew me to the programme was the opportunity to set up a high-performance ecosystem in Scotland for boccia athletes, which is being delivered by current and former boccia athletes”, Peter explained.

Although Scott and Jamie were still part of Boccia UK’s World Class Programme and were both performing at a high level when they joined the programme, the pair decided to retire from performing towards the end of 2022 in order to focus on developing their coaching. “I just want to pass on knowledge and help create more Paralympians and successful athletes from Scotland”, said Jamie.

Throughout their time on the programme, they’ve all learnt a great lot. “I said at the beginning that I wanted to gain confidence. I would say that throughout the programme I can fully trust myself as a coach”, said Scott.

The endless search for perfection is a curious thing and has been a particular element that Peter has enjoyed delving into. This has been highlighted through the opportunities the coaches have had to meet, connect and network with other high-performance coaches from other sports throughout Scotland. “It can be humbling, going to speak to experts from different fields. The thing that this has highlighted is that they are experts in their fields but they don’t know everything. They are always looking to evolve and learn”, the Hamilton born coach explained.

Whereas one of Jamie’s most valuable lessons has been learning to have confidence in what is important to him and understanding to trust his coaching philosophy.

“It can take you a while to find but everyone has their own unique style of coaching. Ultimately, we all have a set style or a set philosophy, obviously that develops and that changes but fundamentally you must have confidence in what you bring and what is important to you”, Jamie said.

Scott explained how having experienced the trials and tribulations of being a high performance athlete has helped him support up-and-coming players. “I think whether you have been a competitor or a coach who hasn’t competed doesn’t make you a great coach, I think it can certainly help in the sense that you can really relate with what they (the athletes) are going through”, he said.

Lesley McKenna has had the opportunity to work closely with all of the coaches on the programm. She commented, “I am super proud of all of the coaches. They have all come such a long way.”

Lesley continued to say: “I am really starting to see how they are bringing themselves into their coaching practices, and how in doing that they are able to work collaboratively together to develop plans, to organise, to come up with new ideas and deliver coaching within the Scottish programme and then being able to take that to the Boccia UK programme.”

With the programme set to come to a close soon, the current cohort is looking at what their next steps in the sport may be.

Scott said, “My aspirations now that the programme is coming to an end are the same as they were at the beginning. I want to coach boccia and work with people that enjoy the sport. I want to develop and progress and ultimately, I want to work with players that want to compete.”

Although the programme is coming to an end, all involved throughout its implementation are keen that it sets a precedent for future coach development opportunities in Scotland. “I am keen that this is one of the first examples of a long-term programme with a group of coaches with a coach developer in Scotland, we are really leading by example”, said Lesley.

“Boccia hasn’t had a history of athletes becoming coaches, for whatever reason we haven’t had many examples of that over the years. For me it’s quite important. If we can be the start of a movement where we are showing players within the sport that there is a route into the sport, if that happens, I would be proud of that”, said Jamie.

If you would be interested in finding out more about boccia opportunities in your local area, you can do so by reaching out to your Regional Development Manager or alternatively, SDS’s Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy, at: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

To keep up-to-date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

26/08/2025

Success for Inaugural Boccia Bletherin’

Boccia Bletherin’ is set to become a calendar staple after an overwhelmingly successful inaugural event.

The workforce CPD and networking day, held in Perth’s fully-accessible Letham4All Community Hub, saw 25 coaches, officials, committee members, players, staff and supporters learn from each other and from experts in the sport.

The event was free of charge to attend and included informal, facilitated sessions featuring a number of topics identified as important by the attendees including: Officiating Update; Governance Hot Topics; Coaching BC3 Players; Lining and Timekeeping; Resource Development; Player Q&A and more! Of course, plenty of time was also set aside for catching up, networking and tucking into the delicious spread put on by the Letham4All catering team.

Feedback from the event was very supportive of the event, with all indicating that they would recommend that others attend. Topics identified for the next Boccia Bletherin’ include B3C practical work, sharing coaching practice and lining and timekeeping in practice.

Stay tuned for the 2026 Boccia Bletherin’ date, and if you’re interested in finding out more about boccia, attending the next event, or taking part in other boccia education opportunities, please email alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com

If you missed the action and want to catch up, check out the links to the content covered on the day below:

Boccia Bletherin Slides – AS

Boccia Bletherin’ 25- Governance Session

BC3 players information Version 3

Liner Masterclass – Boccia Bletherin

10. Timekeeper_Guidelines

Violation summary – 2025 Update

18/06/2024

Newcomers and Squad Members Unite at Scottish Boccia Event

The National Scottish Boccia Closed Championships took place at The Peak in Stirling on Saturday 15th of July, with 25 athletes competing for the title of Scottish Champion.

A development squad was also present on the day, with 12 athletes joining to make it the biggest draw to date.

The development draw provided potential classifiable athletes the opportunity to compete and learn more about higher level competition; watching some of Scotland’s finest boccia players in action- proving to be a great experience for the development squad with plenty of learnings to takeaway.

Within the development draw there were two categories: a mixed BC1,2 & 4 category with 5 athletes and a BC3 development draw with 3 athletes and their ramp operators. For some of the athletes, it was their first time competing at a National competition, whilst for others, it was their first ever boccia competition.

“It has been a fantastic event with many close games,” said Jonathan Kennedy, SDS’s Boccia Development Officer.

“What is really great to see is the amount of players in the development draw coming to this event. I spoke to one who said that this is their first ever event and quite a few of the other players have spoken to the Scottish squad athletes.

“It’s great to see the Scottish squad players taking the time to talk and share their knowledge with the development players all in the same place,” said Jonathan.

There were some fantastic games played throughout the entire day. Podium placers per each category are listed here:

BC2:

Gold – Alex Medley
Silver – Kayleigh Haggo
Bronze – Lewis McConnell

BC3:

Gold – Patric Wilson & Meredith Greenwood
Silver – Ross MacNeil & Stewart MacNeil

BC4:

Gold – Stephen McGuire
Silver – Tyler McLelland
Bronze – Fiona Muirhead

Development Draw:

Gold – James O’Brien
Silver – Murrin Widley
Bronze – Layla McCloskey

BC3 Development Draw:

Gold – Zac Cameron & Kevin Davidson
Silver – Ellie MacLaren & Lisa MacLaren
Bronze – Caoimhe Potter & Katie MacMillan

Many thanks to all the officials who helped the event run smoothly and for providing support to the development athletes; ensuring that they understood the rules and call room procedures. Thank you also to Barclays volunteers who helped support the officials. A final thank you goes to Motability and their sponsorship of this event.

12/06/2024

ParalympicsGB Announces Boccia Squad for Paris 2024

Three-time Paralympic champion David Smith and reigning world champion Claire Taggart head up a five-strong squad of brilliant British boccia players who will line up for ParalympicsGB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games this August.

Smith – who became Britain’s most decorated boccia player after successfully defending his Paralympic title at the rescheduled Tokyo Games three years ago – will head to the French capital looking to add to his current tally of five Paralympic medals from four Games.

Northern Irish athlete Taggart heads to Paris as the world number one in her class. The 29-year-old, who claimed her first global title in 2022, will compete in the new individual female category introduced for these Games – mixed events had been on the schedule when she competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Taggart said: “I’m delighted to be selected to compete at my third Paralympic Games in Paris. It’s a huge opportunity to compete in front of family and friends, as Paris is so close. I’m really excited as well as a bit nervous!”

Former frame runner and swimmer Kayleigh Haggo will meanwhile make her Paralympic debut after an impressive season which saw her win her first major international medal in Zagreb in April.

The Scot, who has won several world titles in frame running before switching to boccia in 2022, will also compete alongside Taggart and Smith in the BC1/2 Team event, the trio fresh from winning silver at the Sao Paulo World Cup last week.

Smith said: “I’m really excited for my fifth Paralympic Games and it will be great to play in front of a crowd again, after the Tokyo Games was limited by Covid. While I do love playing individually, the team event has always been a strong passion of mine. The team medal was my first at a Paralympics, so it’s kind of where I learned my craft. Our team then went into a bit of a transition, so it’s always been my ambition to return us to where we were.”

Haggo, who has dreamt of competing at a Paralympic Games ever since she attended the London 2012 Paralympic Games aged 12 with her mother, said: “I cannot wait to represent ParalympicsGB. After 13 years of competing internationally across three different sports, my dream has finally come true. From the first time I played, the tactics and excitement of boccia had me hooked. And in Paris, I want to enjoy every moment and play the best I can.”

Fellow Paralympic debutants Will Arnott and teenager Sally Kidson complete a stellar squad and will line up in the BC3 Pairs event having won gold at the qualifying event in Japan earlier this year.

Kidson – who is supported by ramp assistant Hannah Stewart – is the youngest athlete in the boccia line-up. 2023 was a breakout year for the young star from Salisbury, beating the likes of world champion Ana Costa and European champion Sonia Heckel.

The 19-year-old said: “I’m absolutely over the moon to have been selected to represent ParalympicsGB. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am grateful beyond words to be a part of such an incredible group of people. It’s been a crazy journey so far, filled with challenges, triumphs and many, many hours of hard work, but I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.”

Arnott, 25, is supported by ramp assistant Connor Wellfare and they both live in Reading. Together, they secured a silver medal at the 2023 Para European Championships.

Arnott said: “I am so proud to be part of this squad. It feels as if the hard work that goes on in the background is starting to pay off and I’m thrilled to make my Paralympic debut in Paris. For me and my assistant, Connor, it really is a dream come true.”

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe said: “I’m really excited to see the ParalympicsGB team taking shape with today’s addition of David, Claire, Will, Sally and Kayleigh – our boccia squad for Paris 2024. We have a superb depth of talent among our five selected athletes, across individual and team disciplines, and I can’t wait to see them all in action this summer.”

Greg Baker, Boccia UK’s Performance Director, said: “I’m so proud of the five athletes headed to the boccia court in Paris. Since Tokyo, we’ve seen some key players retire and it’s been more difficult to qualify than ever before, so to see new players coming forward, delivering on the world stage and making their Paralympic debut is fantastic for our sport. It is also testament to our staff – the team behind the team – who have worked incredibly hard to support the squad.

“We’ve also got very experienced players in David Smith, Paralympic champion, and Claire Taggart, world champion. Of course, it is the first time that the male and female individual events will be separated at the Games, which is helping to grow the sport globally.

“We’ve had a very productive season with increased competition and international training opportunities to ensure our athletes and staff are as ready as possible for the Games. Our focus now is making sure that the next couple of months offer further great preparation for the squad, giving them the best chance to deliver great performances in Paris.”

A total of around 230 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Paris, with further names to be announced by ParalympicsGB in the next few weeks.

At Tokyo 2020 ParalympicsGB won medals across a record breaking 18 different sports – the highest number of any nation ever. ParalympicsGB finished second on the medal table with 124 medals overall, including 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze.

Full Boccia squad:

David Smith – BC1 (Athlete Competition Partner: Misel Kranjcec)

Claire Taggart – BC2

Kayleigh Haggo – BC2

Will Arnott – BC3 (Athlete Competition Partner: Connor Wellfare)

Sally Kidson – BC3 (Athlete Competition Partner: Hannah Stewart)

30/05/2024

Shepherd Supports Scottish Disability Sport’s Boccia Development

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) receives financial support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors to further aid boccia development throughout Scotland.

The backing from Shepherd will help fund SDS’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for people of all abilities, to try and participate in boccia across the country.

Ian Fergusson, Senior Partner at Shepherd, said: “We’re delighted to financially support Scottish Disability Sport’s inspirational boccia programme.

“Boccia is a hugely inclusive sport which caters for all abilities and we look forward to playing an active part in the growth of this popular sport throughout Scotland.”

Acting as the Scottish Governing Body for boccia, SDS is continually campaigning to make the sport accessible for all; providing clear pathways to engage in the sport in both urban and rural areas of Scotland.

Currently Scotland has 36 boccia opportunities which allows over 720 people to enjoy the game of boccia. To make this happen there are over 199 volunteers who support these opportunities. These volunteers are vital in supporting the athletes thrive and develop.

“SDS is delighted to receive funding support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors”, said Gavin MacLeod, SDS Chief Executive.

“Financial support of this nature goes a long way to allowing us to offer more players with disabilities access to this fantastic Paralympic sport. Funding will be used to enhance access to training and competition for players across Scotland. Our thanks go to everyone at Shepherd Chartered Surveyors”.

2024 is a big year for boccia in Scotland and the support from Shepherd comes at a critical time where interest in the sport is expected to rise.

Not only is SDS currently preparing to host both the Scottish Boccia Closed Championships (15^th June) and the UK Boccia Championships (15-17^th November) but sandwiched in-between is the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where several Scots are hopeful of securing a spot on the team.

13/05/2024

Successful Start to Boccia Season with Scots Collecting Medals on International Stage

By Emma Logan, Communications Manager

The year kicked off with welcoming Northern Ireland to a training camp in February, held at the renowned Inverclyde Sports Centre in Largs. The camp provided the perfect opportunity for players to refine their skills, boost creativity and focus amidst a competitive but friendly environment.

Just one month later, some Scots headed over to Belfast to compete in the Disability Sport NI International Challenger. Alex Medley, from Perth Eagles Boccia Club, competed in his first individual international event – finishing fourth in the BC2 category. It was a great opportunity for Alex to test his skills and tactics against top seed players.

Things got serious in April as boccia players from around the world gathered first in Zagreb, then Montreal for some world class competitions.

The Zagreb World Boccia Challenger proved to be a very successful season opener for the Boccia UK squad, which took home eight medals – four of which were won by Scots, Stephen McGuire and Kayleigh Haggo.

Stephen topped the podium twice, taking the individual BC4 title ahead of the BC4 pairs alongside England’s Sophie Newnham. Meanwhile, Kayleigh made personal history by claiming the bronze medal in the individual BC2 event – her first individual international medal. She followed this up with another bronze in the Team event.

The medal momentum continued in Montreal for Stephen. He found himself in yet another final but this time had to settle for silver as Yuk Wing Leung (HKG) defeated him, 5-2.

Patrick Wilson was also in action and found himself in the BC3 quarterfinals after a 7-6 victory over Howon Jeong (HKG) in the pool stages. Australia’s Daniel Michel ended his campaign in the competition.

Medal momentum continued at the World Boccia Challenger in Lahti, Finland as Kayleigh, Patrick and Tyler McLelland all claimed a medal. Kayleigh took victory in the BC2 event, to win her first ever gold in an international individual medal, with Tyler finishing third in the BC4s. The bronze medal marks his first international individual (senior) medal. Patrick found success in the BC3 event, winning gold to wrap up Boccia UK’s individual medal haul. Stay up-to-date on the action via SDS’s X account.

The players have got a jam-packed itinerary over the upcoming months in the lead-up to the Paralympics. Scottish representation should also be present in Sao Paulo at the end of May for a World Cup, ahead of the Poznan Challenger and Póvoa de Varzim World Cup in July.

Good luck to all the athletes.

03/04/2024

Three Crowned at National Schools Boccia Championships

By Jonathan Kennedy

On the 20^th of March 2024 Scottish Disability Sport hosted the National Schools Boccia Championships for the second time ever. This event allowed every Branch to send athletes in order to compete and have a chance at being crowned, Scottish Schools Boccia Champion.

47 athletes from 11 Branches around Scotland competed for the title. There was a fantastic atmosphere amongst the athletes, parents, schools and team manager.

Medals would be up for grabs in three categories: athletes with a learning disability, athletes who use an assistive device and athletes who have a physical disability. All nine courts of The Peak were in use to accommodate for such an exciting day of competition.

There were close matches all over the hall with 16 of the matches having to go down to a tie breaker including one of the medal matches. A huge well done to everyone who was selected to represent their branch at this event.
A big congratulation goes to our event champions and medallists (see below):

Athlete with a learning disability –

Gold: Eleanor Little
Silver: Scott Chafey
Bronze: Kate Burton

Athletes who use an assistive device:

Gold: Sophia Walsh
Silver: Ellie Maclaren
Bonze: Logan Millar

Athletes with a physical disability:

Gold: Layla McCloskey
Silver: Emma McManamon
Bronze: James O’Brien

Finally, this event would not have been possible without the support of our officials, branches and staff.

27/03/2024

Alex Medley on the International Stage

Alex Medley from Perth Eagles Boccia Club competed in his first individual International event from 22nd to 24th March 2024 in Belfast. Alex, who trains with the Tayside regional and Scottish National Development squads, played in the BC2 classification, taking on players from Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Ireland at the Disability Sport NI International Challenger.

On day one, Alex progressed through the group stages to face current BC2 world champion, Claire Taggert from Northern Ireland. Alex put in a great performance but it wasn’t quite enough to defeat the experienced world champion, losing 7-1 to Claire.

It also wasn’t to be in the bronze medal match for Alex but he does leave with plenty of positives, as he explains in the interview below. The future is looking very bright for Alex.

What is the DSNI Challenger? Disability Sport Northern Ireland Challenger is designed to offer competition opportunities to players within the UK Performance Pathway.

When and where: 22nd-24th March 2024. Antrim Forum Leisure Centre, Northern Ireland

Scottish player competing: Alex Medley – BC2

DSNI Challenger 2024: Interview with Alex Medley

What was your reaction when you were asked to compete? – Very excited, speechless and honoured.

What were you most worried about? – My power wheelchair arriving in one piece.

Best Moment? – Playing Claire Taggart (BC2 World Champion) in the semi-finals and spending time chatting with other players.

Even Better Moment?! – Getting an end off Claire Taggart!

Position achieved? – 4th in BC2 individual category.

What did you learn about yourself over the weekend? – Everyone needs a team behind them; I can hold my own at this level.

Best advice given? – Before travelling, speaking with some of the Scottish Boccia Squad about logistics. Take your time and play your own game no matter who you are playing. Let the ball do the work.

How did you feel? – I was nervous but as soon as I started playing, I got into the zone and really enjoyed it. I was proud of how I played, but every day is a learning day.

Any other learning points? Reset after a missed shot. I like the challenge of playing more experienced players. Importance of first ball.

What made it easier? – How welcoming the whole Boccia Community is; having a great Scottish contingent around me; having my family and friends supporting me (thanks for being there Dad!) Using skills learned from training with the Scottish Development Squad as well as learning from the Scottish National Squad.

Key learnings to work on? – Improve playing long as well as short; consistency, accuracy, strength.

What is next for you? – Continue working on my game both physically and mentally, so I can execute the strategies and shots that are in my head. Play more competitions where I can. Continue to enjoy playing boccia.

Many thanks for the support of Scottish Disability Sport and to the Organisers and Officials for making the event happen.

Photo Credit: DSNI

27/02/2024

Scottish Boccia Host Northern Ireland at First Camp of the Year

By Boccia Coach, Peter McGuire.

At the weekend (23rd – 25th February) Scottish boccia held our first camp of the year, alongside Northern Ireland at Inverclyde sports centre in Largs. From arriving on the Friday until departing on Sunday, performance and spirits were high amongst the athletes.

We had six coaches from both nations supporting the weekend, each inputting and organising sessions throughout the camp. The feedback from the players was positive, praising the creativity and freshness of the sessions: “You all bring different ingredients and make a great stir fry”, said one athlete.

Athletes provided each other with valuable and positive feedback as they were keen to support and help each another develop their skills. This environment is a great way to turbo charge an athlete’s progress.

A highlight over the weekend was a group bonding session – a quiz developed by Scott MacCowan. The quiz was a mash of University Challenge and Pointless. Like Christmas cracker jokes it had every one laughing and scratching our heads.

Once again we would like to thank our hosts at Inverclyde for their hospitality and looking after our athletes, as well as our guests from Northern Ireland. Thank you to everyone that joined on the weekend – for your professionalism and intensity.

As the sign says here in bonnie Scotland, “Haste ye back”.