Siobhan
Daley

Siobhan Daley has been playing boccia for a decade this year, and what better than the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games to commemorate that milestone?

Born with cerebral palsy, Siobhan was introduced to boccia as an eight-year-old in a tin shed in Mudgee, NSW. As the only sport she can play competitively in a motorised wheelchair, boccia was a natural fit.

Together with her ramp assistant Matt Ellis – given Siobhan’s cerebral palsy also affects her speech, their partnership is crucial – Siobhan has worked incredibly hard over many years to achieve selection to the Australian boccia squad. Having now done that, the Paralympic Games is the goal – and with the BC3 pairs and teams combinations now requiring a female athlete, that goal is well and truly within reach.

Siobhan is not the only BC3 player in contention for a place on the Australian Paralympic Team, but if she is anything like her famous family member, Laurie Daley, she is sure to put up a fight.

As passionate as Siobhan is about boccia, she is also an advocate of augementative and alternative communication, and has spoken publicly using assistive technology on her way to fulfilling her other dream of becoming a speech pathologist.