Boccia UK’s masterplan to further strengthen the sport has taken a step forward today as it names four players in its first-ever Talent Transition Squad.

The players can now look forward to increased opportunities to play internationally as well as training with Great Britain’s world class players at training camps.

The athletes are:

Matt Berry: BC3 (England)
Sophie Newnham: BC4 (England)
Tyler Mclelland: BC4 (Scotland)
Reshad Saraj: BC2 (England

The programme is led by Boccia UK and is supported by Boccia England, Disability Sport Northern Ireland, Scottish Disability Sport and Disability Sport Wales.

Head of Performance Pathway Liz Fisher explains: “The Talent Transition Squad aims to bridge the gap between players competing domestically and the athletes that are supported by the World Class Performance programme. In the past, it’s perhaps been quite difficult to break through from domestic levels into international competition. And that’s what we want to change.”

The four were selected after demonstrating the potential to progress and compete at world-class events.

Sophie newnham is one of first members of boccia uk’s talent transition squad

Tyler, 17, from Fife and Sophie,15 from Surbiton in West London are both due to compete at the World Youth Championships in July. Reshad, meanwhile, is 30 and from Pinner in North London. He won bronze at the Poznan Challenger last year. Matt – who completes the quartet – is 27 and lives in West Sussex. In 2017, he won the Tatra Cup, beating Paralympic Champion Adam Peska in the final.

Boccia UK has already appointed Michaela Rihackova as Talent Transition Squad coach. She is a former head national coach of the Czech Republic and has helped nurture the talents of current Paralympic Champion Adam Peska.

tyler mclelland has also received a call up for the boccia uk talent transition squad

It is the first time that Boccia UK has embarked on a talent programme. Liz explains:

“We’ve had individual athletes such as Louis Saunders and Will Arnott who have gone through a transition period between Home Nation and Boccia UK support but nothing like this before.”

And the Talent Transition Squad comes at a time when boccia is growing and evolving globally. In Paris next year, male and female players will compete for the first time at a Paralympic Games in separate individual events, increasing the number of medals available.

Meanwhile, as boccia grows around the world, Great Britain is certainly making its mark. At the Zagreb Challenger earlier this year, Boccia UK topped the medal table while at the Montreal World Cup, a few weeks later, Britain scooped a gold and three bronze medals, demonstrating that it is capable of world-class success across the range of classifications.

Performance Director Greg Baker said:

“Recent tournaments have proved that Britain is capable of being a number one nation in the world. But to be the very best, we need to be honing the talents of those athletes who might not be at World Class Performance squad level just yet but are showing huge potential.”

reshad saraj completes the line up for the boccia uk talent transition squad

The Talent Transition Squad will focus on the four named athletes but it is hoped that the programme will grow in the future.

Matt Berry

Matt is 27 and lives in West Sussex. He is coached by Bob Lathbury. He finished second at the 2019 UIK Championships, just missing out on gold after a narrow tiebreak. He is the current English national champion.

Tyler McLelland

Tyler is 17 years old from Windygates in central Fife. Coached by Claire Morrison, he demonstrated his potential when he won his debut individual international match at the Czech Open in Prague last year. He is part of the Scottish Boccia Squad and studies at Fife College.

Sophie Newnham

Sophie is 15 years old and is from Surbiton in West London. She started playing boccia at the age of 13. In October, she impressed Boccia UK when she won silver at the UK Championships. She is student at Treloars School; the same school that Paralympic Champion David Smith OBE attended and has already shown great promise. She is coached by her brother, Jamie Newnham.

Reshad Saraj

Reshad is 30 years old and is from Pinner in North London. The BC2 player started playing after first discovering boccia when watching the 2008 Beijing Paralympics:

“It’s not always been an easy ride but I’m so proud of myself for sticking at it and my support team has been amazing.

Reshad is the current English national champion.