Visually Impaired Boccia

What is VI Boccia?

Visually impaired boccia (VI boccia) is played by individuals who are blind or partially sighted. Athletes aim to propel their balls close to the jack ball by interpreting the position of the balls on court by reading a tactile grid, or by using other adapted playing methods.

Watch this short video to showcase VI boccia.

VI Boccia Resource

Click below to access our detailed electronic VI Boccia resource produced in conjunction with British Blind Sport.

VI Boccia - PDF

VI Boccia - Word Plain Text

Education and Training

Coaching People with a Visual Impairment – this 2-hour self-guided eLearning module is suitable for anyone looking to support visually impaired people to take part in sport and physical activity. £16.99 at UK Coaching

Find out more

Introduction to Visually Impaired Boccia – this 90 minute, tutor led webinar introduces the basic principles of VI boccia. Check for upcoming sessions via the button below, or contact [email protected] to register your interest.

Equipment

The VI Boccia Grid is a tactile, handheld, and scaled down version of a boccia court. Plastic pegs act as tactile markers and they have different shapes / textures to correspond to the different coloured balls. A sports assistant plots the positions of each ball on the court, via the grid.

The Grid can be purchased from the Boccia England shop for £108.

Introduction to VI Boccia Development Package

Boccia England are offering a limited number of development packages to partners, organisations, schools, clubs and groups across England support with the delivery and development of VI Boccia.

More details about how to apply for a 2023 Introduction to VI Boccia Development Package will be released shortly.

To read more about the success of the 2021 Introduction to VI Boccia Development package, please visit https://www.bocciaengland.org.uk/News/vi-boccia-project.

Get involved!

Contact your local club or visit the British Blind Sport activity finder to find out more about local VI Boccia opportunities.

Latest

A cracking competition weekend in Crawley

Over the weekend of 16th and 17th March, we returned to K2 Crawley who hosted the final qualification rounds for both the Heathcoat Cup and BE Cup in the 2023-24 season.
A brilliant weekend of boccia in Brentwood

Over the weekend of 17-18th February, The Brentwood Centre hosted the penultimate Heathcoat Cup qualification round as well as the second fixture day of the Super League.
A wondrous weekend in Worcester

Over the weekend of 20th and 21st January, Perdiswell Leisure Centre in Worcester played host to the BE Cup and Heathcoat Cup West competitions, where it was great to see so many new and returning players competing.
Boccia England involved in a 1st ever!!!

1st ever Joint Camp with Handball, Goalball and GB Archery lead by the True Athlete Project

Introduction to boccia

What is boccia? Boccia (pronounced bot-cha) is a Paralympic sport with no Olympic equivalent and is similar to bowls.
Facility Guide

For people playing boccia it is important that facilities are as accessible as possible. This guide has been developed to show how boccia courts can be incorprated into sportshall markings
Lending Library

Boccia England is committed to providing greater access to equipment for individuals and organisation. In doing so, we operate a lending library whereby eligible persons or organisations can request to borrow items of equipment.
Boccia Activity Cards

This page contains a suite of Activity Cards.
Boccia England resources

Here you'll find downloadable forms, policies, templates and guidance. These cover everything from support for running boccia sessions to the governance of Boccia England.
Rules of the game

An overview of the rules of boccia
Classification

Classification is a way of grouping players into levels of impairment, in order to make sure that players are competing on an equal level.
Boccia at Home

You can play boccia recreationally at home. You don’t need much space or specialised equipment to have fun and start developing some of your boccia skills! On this page you’ll find some ideas and links to help you get started.
Occupational Therapist Guide

Using boccia as an assessment and intervention tool.
Training guides

This section provides various training guides for boccia players, clubs and practitioners.

Safeguarding

We have achieved the Child Protection in Sport Units Advanced Safeguarding Standard to ensure we provide a framework for all those involved in our sport to help them create a safe sporting environment for children and young people and protect them from harm. Read more