Club Name:	Camboccia Scorpions
Club Website:	http://camboccia.co.uk

About Our Club:

With being a parent of a 12 year boy with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and finding it hard to get him involved in activities and sports due to his disability, we found Boccia was the answer. Boccia was something that he could get involved in and with his own efforts achieve what is required from the sport. Idea of setting up a club. Though Boccia is a growing sport in the UK, by 2009 there was still no Boccia clubs in Cambridgeshire. Though stressed out and tired with caring for my child with a disability, I was willing to take on the daunting task of starting a Boccia club. The task ahead was how and where to get funding for publicity, sports hall, Boccia balls and also putting in the effort into keeping it going. I contacted the Sports Development Officer for South Cambridgeshire Council about the idea. She was up for the idea and with the help of the various councils across Cambridgeshire, such as Peterborough, Huntingdonshire and City of Cambridge which all work together under an organisation called the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough County Disability Sports Forum made the task less daunting. They set about getting funding, for instance a set of proper Boccia balls can cost ?300, then publicity to get people to come, hire out the Sports hall, a coach and other equipment. Over the months the club grew and is made up of people with a physical disability and learning disabilities. Within a year we had group of us (John Wright, Treasurer, Nicky Myers, Chair and Sam Wright) who were willing to form into a serious club and go it alone. We formed a committee, made a constitution and opened a bank account. Also Camboccia entered into the National Pan Disability Boccia League, proudly wearing club shirts and bringing joy to the participants. Shaun McCormick, Club Secretary About Boccia Boccia is a competitive game that can be played one-on-one, in pairs, or with teams of three. It is played on a specially marked court, usually with a hard surface. The goal of the game is for players/teams to throw/bowl game balls so that they get them as close as possible to a special target ball. The game begins with a player throwing the white target ball onto the court. Opponents then take turns trying to throw/bowl their game balls as close as possible to the target ball(Jack). When the game balls have all been thrown, a referee determines the points awarded to individual or teams based on measurement of how near the game balls are to the target ball. Boccia is an activity that can be enjoyed by persons of all ages and persons with a wide variety of disabilities. It can be played for recreation, as a competitive sport, or for physical education in school programs. The game requires planning and strategy in trying to place playing balls for maximum scoring. It also can develop or increase hand-eye coordination. Finally, boccia is an activity in which individuals with severe disabilities can participate and develop a high level of skill. The game can be easily adapted to allow players with functional limitations to use chutes and ramps in order to to place their game balls into play. Boccia is a Paralympic sport for people with physical disabilities, and also a Special Olympic sport for people with learning disabilities!

Sport Network:

Boccia