Scottish Boccia were represented at the Boccia England Team and Pairs event at the David Ross Sports Village at Nottingham University on the 14 and 15 December 2019.

The competition afforded the opportunity to take seven players to compete, five of whom, were making their first appearance for Scotland.  The squad were ably led by experience players, Kieran Steer and Ross Munro.

BC3 Pairs
Ross MacNeil (alongside the Vipers English Academy)

BC4
A. Kieran Steer & Scott McIntyre
B. Ross Munro & Tyler McClelland
C. Fiona Muirhead & Paul McIntyre

Remarkably, Ross MacNeil and his father, Stewart (ramp assistant), struck up a formidable partnership with Lewis Fisher and Azhad Fauzi in which they managed one training session prior to the competition.  They pushed England B in their first match, losing narrowly 3-5 in the end.  However, this performance set their tone for the rest of the competition.  The Vipers reached the semi-final, losing to 1-7 to England A.  This set up a bronze medal play-off with Wales, in which they triumphed 6-2.

In the BC4 Pairs competition Scotland had three strong pairs involved in a five team round robin, which inevitably saw the teammates competing against one another, and it is these results that would have a big impact in the overall league standings.  Scotland A (Kieran & Scott) won an engaging contest 13-0 against Scotland B (Ross & Tyler) and followed this up with an 8-0 victory against Scotland C (Fiona & Paul).  Whilst Scotland C beat the Gladiators 3-1 they had to withdraw from the competition due to illness, which meant the finished bottom of the group.  However, Scotland A and Scotland B ensured that we would record a 1-2 finish as gold and silver would come north of the border.

The competition provided an excellent competitive outlet for Scotland’s next generation of performance players and each will have taken lots of learning, as we look ahead to a positive 2020 for Boccia in Scotland.  Scottish Disability Sport would like to thank Boccia England for hosting the event and inviting Scotland to be part of it.

A full list of results can be seen via the link below:

https://www.bocciaengland.org.uk/teams-and-pairs-2019

The Scottish Disability National Badminton Championships will be run by Badminton Scotland at Dalkeith Campus on Saturday 25^th January.

Entries close on 10^th January and all the information you need should be found on the link below. This event started as a partnership event between Lothian Disability Badminton Club (LDBC) and Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) in 2017. Badminton Scotland came on board this year to operate it as their disability badminton championships with input from LDBC & SDS. Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested in entering.

Scottish Disability Badminton Championships 2020

An amazing celebration for Richard Brickley MBE OBE today as he collected his award from Buckingham Palace. This proved to be an extremely exciting day for Richard and his family – especially his grandson, who was thrilled at the prospect of a trip to the palace.

SDS warmly congratulate Richard on his well-deserved recognition following decades of service to disability sport. The following article was written at the time of the announcement.

Congratulations to Richard Brickley on being awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to disability sport.

Passionate and committed, his influence spans every facet of disability sport. Richard was awarded an MBE in 1999 for services to disability sport, however his impact since this time has remained significant as evidenced by his recognition as Volunteer of the Year at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards in 2017. It is universally agreed amongst national, UK and international governing bodies that few, if any, people have done more for the development of disability sport internationally over the last 40 years. Richard was on the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Management Board from 1975 until 2006, and between 1998-06 he led Scottish Disability Sport as chair. Richard took the organisation from one that employed a sole administrator as their entire staff base to one that employed a CEO and a number of dedicated staff. He was the key driver in launching SDS’s first website in 2000. This vastly improved communication with members, local authorities and governing bodies. He has been a driver in strategically planning and implementing SDS’s last five strategic plans which has overseen growth exponentially of inclusive practice and opportunities. He implemented the widely-respected events programme for 33 years as the voluntary events-lead, and has ensured that the programme remains one of the flagship programmes of SDS which currently runs over 20 events across 7 sports and caters for over 3000 athletes with a disability at every level of the pathway. After he stepped down as chair in 2006, he was asked to become the inaugural chair of the UK Coaching, Learning and Leadership Group, which was formed in 2007. The group was established to advise the UK Coaching Framework on disability sport and the inclusion of children, athletes and players with a disability. He produced policy papers and implemented positive projects and programmes within coaching at a UK level. He only stood down as chair to allow him time to set up a similar organisation in relation to Scotland, and in 2010 the Disability Sport Coaching and Education Group: Scotland was established. The impact of the groups has been to corral leading experts in coaching and disability to set the vision for coaching and learning within Scotland and contributing the SDS dimension to key documents. He was a key contributor to the development of the Sports Inclusion Model which is a cornerstone of the SDS Strategic Plan 2017 – 21 and it being adopted at a UK level through SDS’s sister organisations in the home nations. Internationally he has attended seven successive Paralympic Games as coach or classifier. In the late 1980s he recognised that his passion for coaching and classification could not co-exist at an international level and therefore made a huge commitment to follow the pathway of an International Classifier, a complicated yet critical aspect of disability sport. In Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 he was a lead classifier, which culminated in becoming the Chief Classifier at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympics. He was also head of classification for athletics at the International Paralympic Committee. In the 1980s and 1990s he voluntarily worked with a small group of classifiers for the Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association to improve and keep current the classification system. He was made an international classifier for the International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD), following his services at the Eight Nations international bowling competition held at Kelvingrove, Glasgow in 2013. This ensured all bowlers were classified for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. He was instrumental in refining the British Athletics classification system and chaired the British Athletics classification panel following Beijing, and he also produced the initial British classification paper for GB Boccia allowing the sport to grow internationally. He and a fellow ex-Chair of SDS, Bob Mitchell, created a simple and robust system for classification within various sports in Scotland. This revolutionised disability sport in Scotland and ensures sport is inclusive and accessible for all people with a disability in Scotland. This is still used 20 years on. This awards was strongly supported by Scottish Disability Sport, the other home nation disability federations and both the Lord Lieutentant and the Lord Provost of Fife.

A fully inclusive training centre

One of the highlights of the year for Scottish Disability Sport was the 2^nd Scottish International Boccia Open held at the sportscotland National Sports Training Centre Inverclyde. The event is only possible given the nature of the centre and the significant level of inclusive accommodation it provides. There was representation from nine countries at the event and the field included World and Paralympic Champions. The centre would be a great fit for schools or clubs with participants with a disability looking for a venue to hold a residential camp. More information about the centre can be found below.

The centre is a first of its kind, designed with inclusivity in mind. The centre is an ideal retreat for training, development and competitions and has been utilised by a range of disability sport groups from across Scotland and beyond.

The facility is capable of accommodating 120 wheelchair users across 60 accessible twin bedrooms all with wet rooms. Eight bedrooms have adjoining doors with six of these containing hoists from bed to wet room.  Additionally, there is lip and step free transitions between spaces and all floors are accessible via four extra-large lifts. Facilities include:

• Sports hall, equivalent to 8 badminton courts and 8 boccia courts
• Gymnastics hall
• Fitness suite including adapted equipment
• Indoor and outdoor 3G pitches
• Grass pitches
• 2 studio spaces
• 4 x sand based tennis courts
• Flexible meeting rooms

Any clubs looking for more information should contact the centre on 01475 674666 or at inverclyde.enquiries@sportscotland.org.uk

Holyrood Sports Centre in Glasgow played host to the Special Olympics Basketball Event on Sunday 24th November, celebrating the Special Olympics (SO) European Basketball week which is running between 23rd November to 1st December.

The development event was open to all individuals with an intellectual impairment from across the country, aiming to engage and support players into local basketball opportunities. To find out more about the SO values, please visit www.specialolympics.org.

On the day itself, there was a large number from Glasgow based players including significant representation from Glasgow City Basketball Team and Sporting Aces, in addition to several individuals who are not currently involved with regular basketball activity. In the end, around 25 players were given the opportunity to participate and celebrate the SO European Basketball week together.

The day proved a great success with lost of positive feedback including ‘this is exactly what was needed, a chance to meet other players who are taking part in the same sport. Really appreciate the support.’

This partnership event is being led by basketballscotland, Special Olympics Scotland West & local clubs Glasgow City Basketball Club & Glasgow Eagles Sports Club and supported by Glasgow Sport, Scottish Disability Sport and Glasgow Active Schools.

There are initial plans to establish an inter-regional event, inviting local areas to play against their peers from across the country in a friendly and welcoming environment. If you’re interested in accessing this opportunity, please contact Disability Talent & Pathways Manager Tina Gordon on 0131 317 7260 or tina.gordon@basketball-scotland.com.