As the National Governing Body (NGB) for boccia, Boccia England is responsible for all aspects of the sport in England from beginner to expert, providing for all levels of participation and dedicated to improving the physical and emotional wellbeing of children and adults with disabilities through boccia.

We are proud to announce that we have signed up to the Sporting Equals Charter, demonstrating our commitment to diversity in boccia.

Sporting Equals exists to promote ethnic diversity across sport and physical activity. Their chief aim is to champion diversity in sport and deliver equality at every level – from grassroots sporting organisations all the way through to elite sport – making it an inclusive sector for all.

 The organisation has over 20 years of experience in delivering high-quality bespoke research to both the public and private sector. Sporting Equals has worked with a range of partners developing its expertise and understanding, including Sport England and UK Sport.  

 

The three primary aims of Sporting Equals are to:

• Raise awareness and understanding of the needs diverse communities within the sports and health sector, in order to change attitudes and increase participation in sport and physical activity.
• Empower individuals and communities to play a part in this change and achieve their full potential through playing sport and being active.
• Advise and support policymakers and delivery bodies to be inclusive of all under-represented groups, drawing on our experience with diverse communities.

 

Boccia England will be developing training and education programmes to support building our workforce community. We will be learning about and developing partnerships with other Associate Members, as well as raising awareness of boccia with Sporting Equals and their members. 

 

The Chief Executive for Sporting Equals, Arun Kang OBE said, “We are really pleased to be working with Boccia England and have them join our growing network of Sporting Equals Charter members.  

Through the charter we aim to capture, commit and celebrate key activity around racism and racial equality. It is vital that we become united as a sector to rid sport of racism.

 We look forward to working with Boccia England and aid in their development and approach towards Diverse Ethnic Communities. Education, empathy and engagement is what we are seeking to deliver through the Sporting Equals Charter with an overall aim of delivering lasting equality.”

 

Chief Executive of Boccia England, Chris Ratcliffe said, “We know that boccia is a truly inclusive sport, however, there is still a lot more to be done so we can continue to grow our sport, especially through our partners.

 Working with Sporting Equals and signing this Charter reaffirms our commitment to further develop our work and provides an exciting opportunity to ensure that boccia reaches more diverse communities.”