bocce@boccesport.com

In many countries, worldwide sports clubs are the bedrock of the sporting system. It's here that competitive and team spirit is nurtured, talent is spotted and sporting camaraderie forged.

The City Bocce Club is trying to bring about a radical change in sporting habits by encouraging the formation of more bocce sport clubs throughout the country. The aim is to establish as many as possible clubs and help those efforts in a variety of ways.

It's the City Bocce Club's firm belief that for many participants casual play is not satisfying enough. To achieve maximum enjoyment from participation in sport, at any level, we need the comradeship of fellow club members, the opportunity to compete with different people, and to be able to practice and improve performance in a club environment. Not only that, people have the right to choose what sport they want to play, when they want to play it and who with.

It's an accepted fact that bocce sports clubs help raise the standards of sport, as they provide regular practice opportunities, frequent competition, and an opportunity for social interaction. What's more, people tend to remain active in a sport if they compete within a club structure.

And it's through organized sports in clubs that players can aspire to high standards. Outside the club system, a lot of athletes, men and women remain at the intermediate stage and only rarely aspire to better performance. Through club activities, they can break through the performance barrier and excel at their chosen sport. This is particularly true for young players who thrive in a club environment. They can take their time, set their own pace, and enjoy their sport in a club setting which doubles as their training base. While ideally suited to the young, clubs cater to players of differing ages and of different standards.

Active clubs give a boost to their particular sport in various ways. Membership in the relevant regional, state, and national bocce associations grows measurably; the sport's base is enlarged and high-performance players identified. All this is done in an inexpensive way through the 'pay as you play' concept. Volunteers are the mainstay of any club and, through them, free coaching is often provided to members.

Clubs also provide two other vital functions. They act as a magnet to people who dropped out of sport at school but are anxious to become active again, and they cater to the less affluent members of the community who cannot afford memberships to private clubs.

As such, they are necessary for six important reasons:

Social change: With more entertainment options, be it television, music, or computer games, people- especially the young - tend to drop out of the sport. Clubs can stimulate their interest again.

Bocce Associations’ membership: Setting up clubs is the most effective way of expanding the membership of bocce sports associations.

Coaching and Coach Education: In line with the Bocce Club Coaching Committee Program clubs can absorb coaches into their system. In this way, members can have access to good quality coaching and, vice versa, clubs can also encourage their players to become qualified coaches.

Standard of sport: Levels of performance improve when clubs are formed.

Bocce Associations’ membership: Setting up clubs is the most effective way of expanding the membership of bocce sports associations.

Continuity: Joining a club is a natural progression after completing a sports training course.

Figure 101: Young players training (Slovenia)

Figure 102: Young players training (Slovenia)

Bocce sports clubs are formed because one or more enthusiasts see the need to provide some regular recreation, leisure, or sports opportunities that are best offered through a club structure. Clubs are usually located on a district basis and generally have one major sporting interest, for example, bocce. They exist to organize and provide opportunities that are not available to individuals acting alone, i.e., regular practice, participation in competitions, and social interaction.

There are several reasons for setting up a bocce sports club. The most common is to provide a support network for people with common recreational and sports interests. That is to say, bocce players need other people to play with and/or against and require opponents of equal strength to test their skill. In general, clubs cater to everyone from children to senior citizens and can act as a focal point for the community, as well as provide a good environment for playing sports.

Figure 103: Krim Ljubljana (Slovenia),
European Club Champion 2011 - Women

Figure 104: Saint Vulbas (France),
European Club Champion 2018 - Men

Figure 105: Bievre Isere (France),
European Club Champion 2018 - Women

First and foremost a Bocce Sports Club helps increase the number of people participating in the bocce sport and in sports in general. In this way, sport is given a higher profile in the community and a launchpad for elite participation is put in place.

Secondly, by its very nature, a club draws more members from people active in this sport but who previously competed in small groups.

Thirdly, clubs provide a perfect environment for coaching and development programs whereby young people can perform to a high level in their sport.

The Bocce Sport can only be developed in partnership with others and clubs bring like-minded people together. It's a truism that clubs serve the sport, the players, and Bocce Sports Associations.