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. 

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.

Bocce ball has been undergoing a quiet revolution over the past few years as new portable courts allow enthusiasts to take the sport to exciting new locations.

No longer are players limited to parks and venues that have existing courts made of wood or stone. High quality inflatable courts made from heavy duty thermoplastic have allowed a new generation of players to transform almost any environment into a bocce lover’s dream.

Many bars, music festivals, breweries, luxury resorts and even cruise ships have become bocce hotspots, using portable courts to run pop-up events and social leagues. Some of the settings for these events are hard to believe – from bocce ball on the decks of cruise ships to high rolling in the open air at a Chicago whiskey bar, the modern game of bocce is reaching new heights.

Packaworld’s portable bocce courts provided an inflatable yet sturdy platform for Special Olympics athletes at the Munster Area Advancement event in Ireland.

More than 80 athletes from Munster took to the Packabocce courts, tossing and rolling their way ever closer to the palina (white ball) – and the Munster regional event, where it will be decided who qualifies for the next Ireland Games in 2022.

The event took place in February, prior to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and was held at the University of Limerick in Munster, one of five regions associated with Special Olympics Ireland. Similar to lawn bowls and petanque, the ancient Italian sport of bocce can be played by people of all ages and abilities, making it ideal for social and competitive competitions.

Thousands of Special Olympics bocce players in New York are now enjoying their sport on the same high-quality portable bocce courts used for many of the global organisation’s major bocce competitions.

The state’s Special Olympics body has brought in 14 of the courts to run events for the 4,600 athletes participating in Special Olympics bocce competitions and school programmes across the state. The courts have already been used for competitions in Capital District, New York City, and Long Island. In August and September they were used for a bocce exhibition at the New York State Fair.

Special Olympics New York Director of Digital Engagement Kyle Massa said the Packabocce courts were being used to grow the sport, with a particular focus on holding more unified competitions.

Special Olympics bocce players in Ireland will have access to high-quality playing courts following the purchase of 26 portable Packabocce courts by their national body.

The new courts are a major investment in the sport’s future and will help Special Olympics Ireland introduce bocce to athletes in new venues and locations.

Special Olympics Ireland Sport Development Manager Elaine Twomey said the courts arrived in the country in October and had their first outing last week at a two-day area advancement event attended by more than 190 bocce athletes in County Kilkenny. 

The event was a success and played an important role in determining which athletes would be eligible to advance to the Leinster Regional Games next year and Ireland’s National Games in 2022, she said.

Packaworld’s portable bocce courts made their first appearance at the birthplace of the ancient sport on the weekend when they were used for a special bocce event held during the Lions Clubs International Convention in Milan, Italy.

The event was run by Special Olympics and Lions Club International as part of an annual tradition that sees Special Olympics athletes and Lions Club members compete in a different unified sport at each international Lions convention.

Special Olympics Director of Sport & Development Christian Guiralt said the event was a great example of sport’s ability to bring people together.

“There was a lot of participation and everyone was so excited with the new courts.”

When it comes to what makes bocce special, there are few people better qualified to comment than Special Olympics International Sports Rules Advisory Council member Mike Ryan.

Known to some as "Mr Bocce", the hardworking New Zealander has been involved in the sport for 25 years.

There’s no doubting his passion either – his car number plate is BOCCE and he has "bocce" tattooed on him in Greek, Arabic, Chinese and English – one for each of the Special Olympics World Games he’s attended as either a bocce coach or technical advisor.

We caught up with Mike to ask his views on what makes bocce so popular in the Special Olympics, and what it might take for it to achieve world domination.