Boccia team coached by Northampton College assistant principal is top of the world

An assistant principal from Northampton College has led her Boccia UK team to a silver medal at the World Championships in Rio, a result that means they are now officially top of the world rankings.

Boccia is a sport designed for athletes with high support needs, typically cerebral palsy, and has no Olympic equivalent. It is similar to wheelchair boules or petanque and is played indoors with soft leather balls.

Sarah Nolan combines her role as assistant principal for Academy, Public Sector & Commercial Enterprise at Northampton College with a key position at Boccia UK, coaching the British BC1/BC2 Team and working as personal assistant to two times individual paralympic gold medallist David Smith.

She said: “Boccia is one of the most severely disabled sports within the Paralympic sphere and understanding the mental side of things is so important. Working with champion athletes such as David has been amazing. The skill and determination they have is phenomenal."