Building bonds, one roll at a time: Bocce’s rise in Northern California

Bocce is gaining traction across Northern California thanks to a surge of participation in Special Olympics community programs – and the support of portable Packabocce courts that are making it easier to bring the sport to athletes.

While school-based unified sports are leading the charge in many US states, Northern California’s bocce boom is being driven by community programs – providing opportunities for people to participate in sport outside of school and during adulthood.

Special Olympics Northern California Sports Manager Mikey Parissenti says participation in the organization’s program has grown by 5-7% over the past year, with bocce’s accessibility playing a key role in that growth.

“Bocce is one of our more accessible sports.It offers a wider range of athletes more opportunity.”

He says a rising number of volunteer coaches, which allows them to bring in and retain more athletes, is also helping drive participation. Increased public access to courts is another key factor.

“A lot of parks in the area are getting redone and adding bocce courts here and there. Having the ability to play bocce out in the community is a big help.”

The recent 2025 Lincoln Bocce Regional Competition reflected this momentum, with 72 teams competing – four more than the previous year.

“It was such a beautiful day,” Parissenti says. “A lot of athletes know each other from the other counties, but here they got to really sit and talk to each other and continue to develop relationships outside their own communities. That was pretty fun to watch.”

The Lincoln venue features 10 built-in courts, but portable Packabocce courts are used widely throughout the season – including for training, local competitions, and major events like the upcoming Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games on 28 and 29 June at Santa Clara University. Up to 10 Packaworld bocce courts are expected to be used at this year’s event.

“The courts are awesome,” Parissenti says. “They allow teams in different towns to be able to hold practices without having to travel… it means more athletes didn’t have to find a ride – so it brought more teams out this year, partially because they were able to hold their own practices in their own town, in their own community.”

Special Olympics Northern California rents out Packabocce courts to teams preparing for the season, and Parissenti says even groups that already have access to a single court benefit from having extra courts to host more sessions simultaneously.

“I used four this year to rent out to some of our community teams… and I’ll probably send them to our teams gearing up for next season to make sure they have the space they need to support all their athletes,” he says.

The portable courts have also impressed with their performance.

“The athletes find it provides a more game-like situation where they can actually use the bumpers to bounce balls off them as opposed to just being on flat grass.”

Storage and transport are another plus. “The athletes are always amazed at how big the courts actually get, and then they pack up into the small bags. I had some teams a couple years ago that were having to use pool noodles and rope.”

Packabocce courts are even being used outside of typical training and competitions in the region, such as for fundraisers and a Bocce Bash event held at the indoor restaurant venue Campo di Bocce.

Parissenti believes accessibility and social connection are two major reasons bocce is resonating with communities across the region. Its slower pace and simple rules make it suitable for athletes of all abilities and allow for a more relaxed, social atmosphere during competition – something that keeps people coming back.

“You get a lot of time to bond with your team,” he says. “Camaraderie is a big part of our bocce scene here.”

He added that team dynamics often evolve in heartwarming ways: even athletes who didn’t get along at first can end up becoming close friends once they’re on the same team.

“It’s the nature of the game – it's team-based and slow enough to the point where you can really develop those relationships and just enjoy each other's company out there.”

>> Find out  about our portable bocce courts on our Packabocce page.