Students of Jardon Vocational School in Michigan are having a ball with Packaworld’s Competition Packabocce courts.

As well as putting smiles on faces, the portable bocce ball courts are helping students’ cognitive, physical, social and emotional development and contributing to educational outcomes – such as learning how to make a game plan, analyse it, and plan for improvement.

​“On the bocce ball court there is no physical contact, but a lot of friendly competition,” says Nanette Renkiewicz, Jardon’s psychologist and bocce ball coach. “We’re seeing individual growth and team growth, as well as learning about sportsmanship: how to give and take ‘smack talk’ and compliments.”

Packaworld has launched its online Europe store, making it easier and more affordable for European customers to purchase its innovative portable bocce courts, goalball goals and water polo nets.

Shoppers in Europe can now buy the high-quality inflatable courts and goals in their local currency, with quicker delivery times and lower shipping costs. 

Orders are shipped from Packaworld’s warehouse in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, operated by Strong in Logistics Solutions (SILS).

​Packaworld chief executive Peter Roberts said the company’s move into Europe would help sports organisers, clubs and schools bring the joy of sport to their communities. 

The start of 2021 has been a time of new beginnings in the USA. Joe Biden has been inaugurated as the new president, NASA’s Perseverance rover will soon touchdown on Mars, and for those who love bocce ball – the first major American Bocce Company event of the year has been held in the shape of the Winter Ball Championship.

This year’s event was proudly supported by Packaworld, which supplies the portable bocce courts used in American Bocce Company​  leagues across the USA. Thirty-two teams duked it out across five days, competing in pairs at Bridge 410 in Chicago.

“Our Winter Ball Championship has been the perfect way to get bocce rolling for 2021, says American Bocce Company president Alex Gara.

Packaworld and Bocce Australia have teamed up to support their shared goal of getting more people engaged in bocce.

As part of the collaboration, Packaworld’s portable bocce courts are available at a special price to league organisers, event coordinators and players in Australia.

Bocce Australia, which marked its 50th anniversary this year, organises bocce events Australia-wide to introduce the game to as many Australians as possible.  

Frank Funari, Bocce Australia’s president, welcomed the new partnership, which he said would make the game more accessible and allow game organisers to take bocce to new locations, including schools and communities without existing courts.

Packaworld International was at the Wellington Gold Awards finals in Wellington, New Zealand, on Thursday night as a finalist in the ‘Innovation Gold’ category.

The finals appearance recognised Packaworld’s bocce court project, which saw the introduction of new materials and an improved manufacturing technique for Packaworld’s Competition Packabocce courts. The project also included changes to the court’s disabled access gate so players in wheelchairs could access the playing area more easily.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said the Wellington Gold Awards finals recognition was another high-profile honour for the company.
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A group of masked bocce players relaxes around a portable Packaworld bocce ball court in the backyard of a stylish event venue in Chicago, Illinois. They are in pairs, spaced apart, and each stands alongside their own set of bocce balls – freshly cleaned and glistening with soapy water from buckets that take pride of place at the head of each court.

After months without bocce because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, these players are learning how to enjoy the sport they love safely. It’s slightly different to what they have known in the past, but the return to play measures introduced by the American Bocce Company mean organised leagues are again possible.

“The biggest challenge has been navigating new information, evolving protocol, and city-wide uncertainty”, says American Bocce Company President Alex Gara.

A project to improve the durability and accessibility of Packaworld’s best-selling inflatable bocce ball court has been announced as a finalist in this year’s Wellington Gold Awards.

The project – one of six finalists in the ‘Innovation Gold’ category – saw the introduction of new materials and an improved manufacturing technique for Packaworld’s Competition Packabocce courts. It also resulted in a re-imagining of the court’s disabled access gate to ensure players in wheelchairs could enter and exit the playing area more easily.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said it was an honour to see the bocce court project gaining recognition in his hometown of Wellington.