Bexley Dodgers Boccia Club has come a long way since its origins as a walk-in taster session in 2008. The Club has grown over the years and now runs a recreational session as well as competition training.
This year the Superstars team won the qualifying rounds for the Boccia England season in Kent and travelled to Nottingham in July to compete in 2024 Boccia England National Finals. There were 13 teams, representing regions from around the country, and our Superstars had an exciting day of Boccia coming 3rd to win the Bronze Medal! Well done to team members Sam, Charlotte and Matthew. https://www.bocciaengland.org.uk/news/a-super-day-of-finals-concludes-our-2023-2024-season
This year Charlotte also won Gold and Jack won silver at the regional finals in Crawley. This meant that they travelled to Coventry to compete in the national finals.
The Dodgers are coached and managed by Janet Swann whose son, Matthew, is a Bexley Mencap member and also plays in the team. Matthew is also a member of Bexley Mencap’s tennis group.
Janet said ‘We’re very proud of all the players and how well they have represented the team and the borough of Bexley. They work hard in training to improve their individual skills.’ It’s great to play with your friends’ added Matthew. ‘We all help each other.’
Indeed, at a competitive team level, there is a lot of strategy and tactics involved. For instance, players have to decide whether to throw long or short to start the game. As the play unfolds players have to decide who is best placed to throw from their respective seated position, judging the right line and angle to aim for as well as the weight of the shot and whether to deploy blocking or attacking shots to win the end.
Currently the Dodgers have 16 members (4 Bexley Mencap members) and regularly have 10 to 12 players who train on Tuesday afternoons at Sidcup Leisure Centre. 7 players train to competition level. Members compete in Singles, Pairs and Team competitions at local, regional and national level and in 2015 the Superstars team won the Boccia England Teams Competition and became National Champions.
Boccia can be played by anyone regardless of age, gender, ability, or disability.
The game was originally designed for people with cerebral palsy, and is the only sport available to many severely disabled people. It’s an indoor sport, played on a court which is about the same size as a badminton court. It’s a target ball sport which tests both muscle control and accuracy. It’s unique in the sense that all players, whether mobile or not, compete from a seated position. This makes the game ideal for wheelchair users. Players propel balls (red or blue) to land close to a white marker ball – the jack. If you’re unable to grasp and propel a ball a ramp can be used.
Boccia has been a Paralympic sport since 1984 so look out for the Great Britain team when the Paris 2024 Paralympics Games starts on 28th August.
