Boccia Professional

I have introduced and promoted Boccia at every level over the past 25 years. On a practical level I have conducted a multitude of disability awareness and disability sport awareness workshops both nationally and internationally (e.g. Pamplona, Spain in 1989, Tehran, Iran 2005, South Africa 2006) as well as attending a multitude of international conferences (e.g. Berlin, Germany in 1990). I have written papers and delivered speeches at a plethora of conferences addressing a diverse range of audiences.

Papers and Speeches

  • 1990: Support for Elite Athletes, to the BPA
  • 1991: Preparing for Competition- A Players Perspective, to Nottingham School of Sport International Conference
  • 1991: Elite Disability Sport, to Loughborough University Students
  • 2002-2007 Annually: Disability Sports in Hertfordshire – Inclusive Practices, to Hertfordshire Sports Partnership
  • 2005: Athletes with a Severe Disability – an out-dated and obsolete concept in our Paralympic Movement, Paper to the International Paralympic Committee
  • 2006: The International Structures that uphold Boccia, Presentation to the CPISRA General Assembly
  • 2008: A Brief History of Boccia – 1984-2004, A paper to document 20 years of International Boccia

Technical Experience

  • 2006: Completed Technical Delegate Mentorship Programme – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 2006: Assistant Technical Delegate at Boccia World Championships – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 2007: Technical Delegate at Boccia World Cup – Vancouver, Canada
  • 2008: “Buddy” on the British Paralympic Association Anti-Doping Buddy Scheme. This Scheme has now been replaced.
  • 2009: Technical Delegate at Boccia European Championship – Povoa de Varzim, Portugal
  • 2009-2010: Consultant in Analysing and recommending a bid from Great Britain to Host the Boccia World Cup in 2011
  • 2011: Competition Manager of the 2011 CPISRA Boccia World Cup, University of Ulster, Belfast
  • 2011-2012: Boccia Technical Operations Manager, London Organising Committee Olympic Games, London

Representation

  • 2000-2005: CPSport Representative on the British Paralympic Association – contributing to all discussions and particularly ensuring that athletes with more severe disabilities are represented.
  • 2009 – 2011: Member on the British Paralympic Association “ParalympicGB’s Classification Working Group”.
  • 2010 – 2012: Active member of the Performance Management Group of GB Boccia.

Ambassador for Paralympics London 2012

2004 – 2012: Ambassador for the London 2012 Games; a cause to which I was very committed; involving active contributions for Boccia in diverse roles as a role-model to athletes, advisor, and advocate of disability sport.

Local Community

I was an integral part of my local sporting community from 1998 onwards. I became involved in the Hertfordshire Sports Partnership (HSP), working with the Barnet PE liaison person assisting in many forms ranging from awarding certificates through to conducting workshops with local sports leaders to deliver Boccia. I was involved with the London Sports Forum organising mini Boccia tournaments, Boccia introduction/recreation days, as well as Limelight Projects for whom I organised the annual London Heathrow Youth Games Boccia Competition on three occasions. I coached at a Special Olympics Boccia Club on a weekly basis. I ran boccia ‘taster sessions’ throughout London and Hertfordshire in schools for children with and without special needs.

Boccia: Coaching / Managing

I have now coached Boccia at every level of the sport. Since 1988 I coached in a variety of settings, from day centres that required a better knowledge of Boccia and its benefits for their clients, through being head coach of Nottinghamshire Elite Squad for six years in the early 1990’s. In 2004, I coached a young England & Wales team to competitions in Belgium and the Czech Republic where they gained invaluable experience and also achieved great success; Team Bronze, Individual Gold and Bronze medal positions.

I was a Personal Coach to various Great Britain athletes. I coached Ali Lalani from 2005 – 2011 during which time he achieved notable international success. I remained Personal Coach to Great Britain athlete Dan Bentley, a ‘job’ I enjoyed between 2005-2012. His notable successes to date include selection for the Beijing Paralympics where he won Gold, along with Medals in the European and World Championships of 2009 and 2010 respectively, and Bonze in the London 2012 Paralympics.

I was Assistant Lead Coach in GB Boccia BC1/2 category of athletes. During 2009/2010 I also took on the role of Assistant Lead Coach on the fast-track GB Boccia programme. This programme was an initiative to unearth talented athletes who might represent Great Britain in London 2012. We had an initial application of almost 50 people, and was pleased that 2 of them were subsequently selected for the London 2012 squad. A further one athlete represented Great Britain in the 2010 World Championships, and others have now slotted into Home Country squads.

I was the Head Coach of Wales; a role which I committed myself to and thoroughly enjoyed. I was awarded 2010 ‘Coach to Disabled Sports People’ along with the overall ‘Sport Wales Coach of the Year’.

My work and achievements with Wales are briefly outlined as follows:

Click Here for achievements
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