BOCCE COURTS - WHAT SIZE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

When it comes to playing bocce ball, not all courts are created equal.

There’s a wide variety of courts available, from fixed set ups at community facilities through to highly portable inflatable courts that can be taken with you and pumped up in minutes.
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This bocce ball court guide answers common questions about bocce court dimensions, construction materials and playing surfaces. It also provides information about bocce's popularity and helpful advice on how to find a bocce court or a serious or social league or competition near you.

​Read on to take your bocce game and knowledge to the next level.

How big are bocce courts?

Bocce ball court dimensions are often dictated by the environment where a bocce game is being played, whether it’s outdoors in a backyard or courtyard, or indoors in a bar, community hall or covered stadium. The dimensions for each of these can vary significantly, and even at competitive level bocce ball court standards can vary by competition, league and country.

Competition bocce ball court dimensions are typically 8-14 feet wide and 60-100 feet long. Courts within this size range are used by the World Bocce Championships, the Gara Alassio tournament in Italy, and Special Olympics for its national and international competitions. The Special Olympics bocce court size standard is for 60’ x 12’ courts.

Many social and recreational bocce ball leagues held in bars, community halls or on cruise ships use smaller courts. These are often closer to 30’ x 8’, to ensure they can fit into tighter spaces and to cater for players of mixed age and ability.

The dimensions for backyard bocce ball courts and those used in retirement or 55-plus communities also vary. This is understandable given the limited space many people have on their properties, or indoors in a common area as is often the case in lifestyle villages. These smaller bocce courts can be closer to 22’ x 6’. They still make for a great bocce game, and you might be surprised at the different skill-set required to master the shorter game – think putting vs driving in golf!

​What are bocce ball courts made of?

Bocce is traditionally played on courts with wood or even stone surrounds, but more recently, portable bocce ball courts made of heavy duty thermoplastic have become available. These allow for fast set up and easy storage, making it easy to bring the game to new communities and localities that wouldn’t have previously been able to play bocce.

What surfaces can bocce ball be played on?

Bocce ball can be played on artificial turf, clay, oyster shell blend, grass, AstroTurf, carpet or anywhere there’s a relatively flat space.

The best surfaces for the sport are smooth and uniform to allow fast rolling and accurate tracking of balls.

Proper bocce ball tournaments require a court with back and side walls to allow players to play rebound shots that can get around blocking balls and nestle in close to the pallino.

Want more detailed information about the most common playing surfaces used for bocce ball?

Our bocce court playing surfaces guide has some great information about the pros and cons of each surface.

Where can I find bocce courts near me?

If you’re looking for a bocce ball court in your neighbourhood, a simple Google search is a good place to start. Some restaurants and bars with an Italian influence have courts and there are fixed bocce courts available in some public parks, particularly in North America. New York has a wide selection of public courts, and there are others in parks across many other US states and Canadian provinces.
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If there are no courts nearby and you’re serious about bocce, then consider investing in a high quality portable court. Packaworld is a leading supplier of portable bocce ball courts that make it easy to bring your bocce game with you. Their ingenious design even features a removable gate that provides access for players in wheelchairs.

​How can I find a league or competition?

There are dozens of serious and social leagues on offer around the world. Internationally the World Bocce Championships is the pinnacle event, while serious and social leagues are run around the world, including by the American Bocce Company, the All-American Liberty League and Bocce VB in the United States. Joining a league is great fun and can dramatically improve your bocce game.

Bocce is also popular in the Special Olympics, and now has the third highest participation numbers of any Special Olympics sport globally.

Part of its appeal is that it can be played by people of all ages and abilities, making it highly accessible.

It is also an ideal sport for Special Olympics unified competitions, which involved athletes with and without intellectual disabilities competing together on the same court.

Did you know?

Some form of bocce is played in more countries than any other ball game, with the exception of football.

• George Washington, Queen Elizabeth I, Greek physician Hippocrates and Italian Renaissance man Galileo Gelilei were all famous proponents of bocce.
  
• The late Umberto Granaglia, from Italy, is considered by many to be the best bocce player ever. He was named “Player of the 20th Century" by the Confederation Mondiale des Sport de Boules in 2005 and won 13 world championships, 12 European championships and 46 Italian championships during his 23-year career.​​
• Bocce is now the third most played sport in Special Olympics programmes globally, after football and golf.
  

This guide has been created by Packaworld as a guide to players seeking accessible basic information about bocce ball court sizes and construction materials. To find out more about Packaworld’s revolutionary portable bocce ball courts, visit our Packabocce page.

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