“It’s been a momentous week for us here at Boccia UK. We have finally been able to host squad training after 13 months of lockdowns and shielding”, blogs HELEN NICHOLLS, Boccia UK’s Performance Director.

Like all sports we have had to manage training throughout the Covid pandemic which has meant that our training and preparation for the Tokyo Paralympic Games for the majority of 2020 has had to be based at home, at individual venues or even in hallways, lounges and even barns for some!

Three players were unable to attend the first camp back but we can’t wait to welcome them back and get the full squad together. It has been a challenging year but one in which the welfare of our team has been at the very forefront. We have managed, however, to continue training and coaching – albeit remotely - and we believe that we enter 2021 in a strong position.

Of course, like everyone else, we have been busy online and we have:

· hosted 270 online strength and conditioning sessions

· carried on with individual coaching sessions both in person and remotely

· held a remote awards ceremony

· all taken part in a Japanese cookalong (well, we couldn’t let the original Tokyo Paralympic start date pass without marking it in some way!)

· delivered food hampers to all our athletes and assistants to help lift lockdown spirits

· put together weekly Spotify playlists to keep us motivated – Scott McCowan has earned legendary status running this every single week for over a year!

· gathered every Wednesday for a quiz night – and we are still doing this. You’ll see us on The Chase next!

But, despite our online efforts, it felt so good to meet as an almost full squad last week at St George’s Park in Staffordshire. Built in 2012, it is the home of the England football teams – and last week, it was Boccia UK’s home from home too.

The facilities are absolutely outstanding and are first-class in terms of inclusivity. We were able to play on the same surfaces that we will face in Tokyo so it was really useful to become familiar with that.

The courts, hydrotherapy and gym are all housed under the same roof which allowed for productive and full days of optimal training and recovery schedules. The quality of the training we were able to achieve at St Georges Park was world class and has helped us to prepare for Tokyo in the best way possible.

Working in a world class performance programme, we know that it is not all about facilities. It is also about people and the welcome we received last week from the team at St George’s Park has been first-class. Nothing has been too much trouble and the support we received enabled us to host a smooth-running training camp. We certainly returned to squad training in style - elite athletes in an elite facility.

As David Smith – who will be defending his individual BC1 title in Tokyo – explained, “Final day of an amazing camp. Best ever in my opinion.”

We move on with the 2021 season with heightened confidence in what we are doing and where we are at performance-wise. Next on the calendar is training camps in Nottingham and Birmingham before we head to Portugal in June for our first overseas training camp since BC – before Coronavirus!

We look forward to the next few months and ensuring that all our athletes have the best possible opportunities in advance of Tokyo 2021.

You can find out more about the training camp at St George’s Park on the FA’s website.