Latest boccia activity across the UK

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While Great Britain’s boccia stars may not be back to international competition for a while yet, there is still plenty happening to develop boccia across the UK.

We caught up with the boccia leads from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to find out what’s coming up in 2026.


ENGLAND

 2026 looks set to be a bumper year for boccia in England with a busy competition season ahead, new events and a brand new talent hub.

Boccia England is planning its first-ever Under-23 Youth Open. The event is an important step forward in the delivery of Boccia England’s ambitious new Talent Plan for 2025–2029. The plan aims to transform how young disabled athletes are identified, recruited, and supported within the sport.

At the heart of the plan is a renewed focus on young people aged 14 to 23 in education settings and in collaboration with community partners. Boccia England will prioritise those most likely to be eligible for classification and progression within the performance pathway, while ensuring that success is defined by each individual athlete’s goals and aspirations.

Meanwhile, the Bristol talent hub is now up and running. It’s designed to identify, recruit, and coach young athletes from the region. Supported by Sport England funding, this is hopefully just the first of several hubs right across England.

Boccia England has also revealed that it’s new competition season has almost sold out - a very positive start to 2026! 

Find out more about Boccia England.

A Boccia England player raises left arm to throw a blue ball

Boccia England competitor in action

NORTHERN IRELAND

Boccia in Northern Ireland is getting off to a great start in 2026 with a Girls In Boccia taster day. Open to all women and girls over the age of 12 and with a disability, it’s taking place in Belfast.

In March, Northern Ireland is then host to the next UK Challenger event with players from across the UK battling it out for titles.

Disability Sport Northern Ireland launched its first Regional Boccia Academy in September and sessions are continuing through to March 2026. Offering fortnightly training and with equipment and coaches on hand, it’s a great way to develop skills and tactics.

Meanwhile, the Schools Boccia Project has now been running for two years. – This year, another 14 schools have received boccia equipment and 20 teaching staff have attended training courses.  Over January and February, three Regional Schools competitions take place in South Lake Leisure Centre, Antrim Forum and Foyle Arena.

And the first round of our Pairs League has also got underway, with nine Pairs involved and lots of competitive games ahead across a further three game days.

Find out more about DSNI.

Two girls on the boccia court smilng for camera and with arms around each other

disability sport northern ireland hosting girls in boccia event

SCOTLAND

A whole host of boccia stars have come out of Scotland and, rest assured, Scottish Disability Sport are busy developing the next generation too.

Two Boccia Family Days are in the diary for February and May which aim to introduce children and young people – and their families – to the sport of boccia.

There are also plenty of regional events to look forward to including:

·       National Schools (26th March) 

·       Dumfries & Galloway Teams Competition (18th April)

·       Scottish Boccia Closed Championships (BISFed Classes): 30th May

·       Perth and Kinross Disability Sport Championships (15th and 21st August)

·       Discovery Games (Dundee, 12th September)

·       Scottish Boccia Open (non-BISFed Classes) – TBC

·       Scottish Boccia Open (non-BISFed Classes)- 24th October

Plus, there's a National Boccia Squad Camp happening in February which athletes and coaches from Northern Ireland are planning to attend.

Find out more about Scottish Disability Sport.

Young girl and dad playing boccia. The dad is assisting the young girl. She is in a wheelchair and is using a boccia ramp. Both are smiling and the dad is raising her arms in the air in triumph.

enjoying boccia fun in scotland

 WALES

Wales is creating more competitive opportunities for boccia athletes and already this year has staged Regional Championships in Aberystwyth and in Cardiff. The team is then headed to North Wales later this year.

Seven Welsh athletes are entered for the Northern Ireland Challenger in March which always such a good opportunity to test skills against other home nations. Two athletes are also attending a Boccia UK BC1/2 Development Camp in February. Boccia UK's coaching staff will be on hand to nurture Home Nation talent.

There will be Welsh Boccia training camps  throughout the year for Welsh athletes to develop their talent. Meanwhile, the Taith Boccia Project will offer development athletes the opportunity to take part in overseas training and competition. The aim is to provide experience of competing overseas. 

Disability Sport Wales is also looking ahead to the South Wales Special Schools Network competition in March.

A boccia game is underway in a sports hall

regional championships underway in wales