The Para sport of Boccia is gaining recognition for its inclusivity and the strong community spirit it nurtures, as seen in the Moreton Bay Boccia Program.
The Moreton Bay Boccia team resumed training at Morayfield Sport and Events Centre last month, coached by Emily Finn, who recently won the City of Moreton Bay Mayor’s Community Spirit Award.
Team member Ryan Finn, who has represented Queensland at nationals and was awarded an Australia Day Sports Award last year, said Boccia had a profound impact on his life.
“Boccia is a sport that I love greatly and the other players are the same,” Ryan said. “We all have different disabilities but we are all there for the same thing – to have fun.”
Boccia, a precision ball sport similar to bocce, was designed for athletes with disabilities, particularly those with mobility limitations.
“I have such a great bond with my friends at Boccia,” Ryan said. “Some of them have become my best friends. We enjoy each other in good times and bad.”
Building a Strong Boccia Community
Last year, the Moreton Bay Boccia Program won Club/Program of the Year at the Boccia Australia National Awards.
The team is aiming to qualify for the Boccia Australia National Titles in Canberra this September, and Ryan and his support worker, Ally Wood, are hoping to attend the 2025 World Boccia Challenger in November.
Ally said Moreton Bay was the biggest Boccia club in Queensland.
“As a team, we have become sort of like a family,” Ally said. “We have a monthly newsletter that goes out to players and birthday posts on Facebook.
“On the court, as Boccia is primarily an individual game, we support each other on the sidelines, offer insight into gameplay and debriefing following games.
“At training, players will often have little competitions amongst themselves when doing drills to push each other to be the best they can be.
“We encourage players to set goals that are specific and realistic. These can be as big or as small as they like – whether it’s competing at nationals or being able to lob the ball four metres. And then we can assist the players in achieving these goals.”
The Moreton Bay Boccia team welcomes new players to join their family.
“We are always looking for new players to keep our game strong – any age, male, female or transgender – we are all a big family, any disability and even one day we could have a gold medallist at the Paralympics,” Ryan said.
For more information, email moretonbayboccia@sportingwheelies.org.au
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