The article below was written by David Hill (above). the Founder of “Boccia Inclusive” – Note: the 2nd issue will be out in November – go here for more info.
Boccia is a truly unique sport in the fact that it caters for a wide spectrum of disabilities. At grassroots level everyone and anyone with any degree of disability can play. Even at elite level athletes, with and without cerebral palsy, can still play. Although, it is only when you look closely at the game you realise how special it really is; people with serve limitations can play using a ramp and an assistant; there are not too many top-level sports that offer this.
This is why I felt Boccia deserved to be recognised and celebrated along with everyone involved in the sport. I had therefore taken it upon myself to create the first magazine dedicated solely to Boccia. I named my magazine Boccia Inclusive; I felt this encompassed the all-embracing nature of the sport perfectly – plus inclusive was a play on journalist lingo, exclusive.
The original aims of the magazine were to bring together a wide range of stories and experiences from across Boccia and share these with everyone. I therefore didn’t just concentrate on players for Issue 1 of the publication; I also acquired contributions from various other people involved in the sport, including coaches, referees and even the Paralympic Boccia Competition Manager for London 2012.
The fact that I started work on the magazine just months before London 2012 was no coincidence; the Games inspired me to get the project off the ground. A friend had given me the idea to combine my two passions together, Boccia and Graphic Design, and create a publication. After dwelling on the idea for ages I decided to put it into action and set a deadline to release the first Issue before the start of the Paralympics. After announcing this on my new created Facebook there was no backing out.
The first thing I did was to try and source out people within Boccia to contribute contents to the edition. Without contents there would be no magazine. After advertising on my Facebook page with little success I began to personally ask people to write articles. As a Boccia player myself I have built up a vast network of friends within the sport. I made contact with some of these and was fortunate to discover that they were more than happy to get involved. Creating Boccia Inclusive has also widen my network of contacts in the world of Boccia, opening up further opportunities to gain new stories in future editions.
I made a feature of the Paralympics with profiles on the GB Paralympians and an article composed by the Team. GB was also helpful in giving my access and permission to use their photographs. This boosted my magazine greatly as photographs had been a major concern due to Data Protection and Copy Right laws.
Having secured articles for the magazine I set about designing the grid system in which the contents would fit. After some trail and error I created a clean composition that worked well with the type and photographs and provided flexibility in the design.
I released Boccia Inclusive Issue 1 on the 23rd August 2012 and got an incredible response from everyone who read it. This completely justifies the time and effort that had gone into creating the magazine. I am currently working on Issue 2 of Boccia Inclusive, due out at the end of November. My future aims for the publication are to make each issue better than the last and to reach more people involved within Boccia, as I am only reaching a fraction on them at the moment.
You can download the 1st issue of “Boccia Inclusive” here.
You can contact him by email – david AT davidhilldesigns.co.uk
Go visit his Face Book page – http://www.facebook.com/BocciaInclusive
Subscribe for free to future editons of the world’s 1st Boccia magazine – “Boccia Inclusive” – here.
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