Volunteering
Volunteering and Coaching
Volunteers are the lifeblood of boccia, making an invaluable commitment and contribution to the sport across England. Without the network of dedicated volunteers that give up their time and energy, boccia simply wouldn’t happen. Volunteering is a rewarding experience, providing a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, travel to new locations (paid for), gain confidence, develop skills and, overall, have fun! Scroll down to see the range of roles available.
Anyone can volunteer in boccia. Whatever your age, experience or ability we would love to hear from you. If you would like to get involved, even in a role not listed:
What Volunteer Roles Can You Have?
The role of Competition Support Coordinator is a wide-ranging volunteer position in place at Boccia England competitions to be a point of contact for the officials, and supporting with operations at a competition. Specific duties may vary for different events, subject to requirements.
Duties:
• Exact duties will be discussed and agreed upon in advance of the event and subject to your individual skills, but examples include;
• Supporting the new/existing timekeepers with the timekeeper system on the iPad
• Point of contact for the officials/volunteers
• Supporting admin on the day for the Head Referee & Competition Manager
• Management of registration of officials/volunteers
• Providing briefing with the Head Referee
• Ensuring that lunch arrives on time, and all officials/volunteers have access to food and regular refreshments
• Filling up the tea & coffee station when needed
• Liaising closely with the Boccia England event staff and volunteer team throughout the competition as needed
• Providing information to people of upcoming volunteering opportunities (crib sheet provided by the People Development Manager before each competition)
Visit the Volunteer Resources section below for full Role Descriptions.
Classifiers attend our competitions to evaluate player impairments so that we can ensure that all athletes compete at equal levels. Read more about classification processes and guidelines.
There are various classifier roles;
- A Chief Classifier (medical or technical) is responsible for the coordination of classification at competition.
- A Medical Classifier is a medically trained professional (doctor, physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist or related discipline).
- A Technical Classifier is a sports technical expert.
- A Classifier in training (medical or technical) is an individual working towards completing their training.
Training to become a qualified Classifier is via the BISFed National or International Classifier course.
Visit the Volunteer Resources section below for full Role Descriptions.
Officials
Level 1 Referee
This role can referee local league and club matches and may be invited to regional competitions as part of the Official’s Development Programme.
Level 2 Referee
A Level 2 referee can referee at regional level competitions and may be invited to line at high level copetitions. They will have engaged with mentoring through the Official’s Development Programme.
Level 3 Referee
This role can referee matches up to and including national level and may be invited to line at high level competitions. They will have acheived the formal Level 3 Award qualification.
Level 4 Referee
A Level 4 referee is an International Referee deployed by BISFed.
Regional Head Referee
This role oversees matches and referees up to and including regional level. Head Referees manage the Officials and the competition, liaising with the Competition Manager. They are also responsible for completing the Officials’ schedule and carrying out briefings.
National Head Referee
This role oversees matches and referees up to and including national level. Head Referees manage the Officials and the competition, liaising with the Competition Manager. They are also responsible for completing the Officials’ schedule and carrying out briefings.
Official’s Developer
This role acts as a mentor and assessor as part of our Official’s Development Programme and provides one to one support for officials who are looking to progress and develop in order to acheive their Level 2 Award.
To become an official you are required to complete an Officiating course. The Officials pathway can be viewed HERE.
Visit the Volunteer Resources section below for full Role Descriptions.
The role of the coach in supporting and developing boccia players is crucial. More information on becoming a qualified boccia coach can be found here
There are a variety of settings in which you can coach boccia to include;
Depending on your training and experience you may act in the role of Leader, Assistant Coach, Lead Coach or Senior Coach. Find out more about the development framework for boccia coaches.
During a boccia match different sections need to be timed. This role is responsible for starting and stopping the stopwatch when required. Additionally, this role will call out time warnings where necessary.
At the end of each end (when all the balls have been played) the Time Keeper will note down the score on both a paper scoresheet and the electronic tablet, which updates the scoreboard for players during their match.
No experience is required.
Visit the Volunteer Resources section below for full Role Descriptions.
The call room is the area where players assemble prior to their matches.
This role is responsible for setting up the call room/area before the start of the competition and clearing away after close of play.
This role opens and closes the call room/area as required and manages player check-ins. It is also responsible for controlling the room in line with the rules which will be explained.
Visit the Volunteer Resources section below for full Role Descriptions.
Volunteer Today
Ready to make a difference? Reach out to us and discover how you can get involved with our volunteering opportunities. Your support can help us create a positive impact in the lives of our players. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Volunteer Contact Form
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Phone
0115 967 8455
Location
Regus, Herald Way, Pegasus Business Park, Castle Donington DE74 2TZ
Volunteer Resources
Here you will find a range of resources to support your volunteering journey within boccia, including volunteer registration and agreement forms, handbook and role descriptions.
Volunteer Expenses
Volunteer Agreement
Volunteer Handbook
Role Descriptions
Assistant Competition / Competition Manager
Competition Support Coordinator