Northampton Athletics is proud to launch its inaugural Unified Bocce Ball season. The team features 20 dedicated student-athletes who have been practicing hard, learning the rules, and building teamwork as they prepare to begin match play.
Unified Bocce Ball through Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities to compete on the same team as equals. As part of the Unified Champion Schools program, and sanctioned by the PIAA, the sport promotes inclusion, acceptance, and teamwork within school communities. Teams are made up of roughly equal numbers of special education athletes and general education Unified Partners. Matches are played indoors using gel-filled bocce balls, with the goal of rolling them as close as possible to the target ball, known as the pallina.
More than just a competitive sport, Unified Bocce Ball emphasizes building friendships, strengthening community, and fostering a true sense of belonging—making this inaugural season about much more than wins and losses.
