Pétanque England
A SPORT ENJOYED BY ALL AGES
We are the National Governing Body for the sport of Pétanque in England. We are officially recognised by Sport England and UK Sport. We are members of the World governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal (FIPJP) and the European governing body, the Confédération Européenne de Pétanque (CEP), we are also members of the Sport & Recreation Alliance.
Pétanque pronounced 'Pet-onk', is also known as French Boule or boules. It is a sport that is enjoyed by all, from those who enjoy the game socially to those that want to compete internationally at elite level.
Pétanque England’s structure of eighteen regions means there will be a club near you. We always welcome new players and we would love to introduce you to England’s fastest growing sports.
Pétanque pronounced 'Pet-onk', is also known as French Boule or boules. It is a sport that is enjoyed by all, from those who enjoy the game socially to those that want to compete internationally at elite level.
Pétanque England’s structure of eighteen regions means there will be a club near you. We always welcome new players and we would love to introduce you to England’s fastest growing sports.
FIND A CLUB
The best place to start if you want to try Pétanque for the first time is to contact a club. Many clubs only play socially, or perhaps in small local leagues. But Clubs that are affiliated with Pétanque England also give you access to everything the National Body offers, including enhanced insurance, support, advice and free coaching.
Becoming a member of Pétanque England is not expensive but allows you to join the Pétanque community, support our international players and enjoy everything the sport has to offer. If you are unsure, do contact us we would love to help introduce you to our sport.
Remember, from social play to more serious competition, there’s something on offer for everyone and many of our clubs have coaches who would be delighted to teach you the basics. All our elite international level players started at grassroots level and who knows, you could be representing our country in the future!
Pétanque people are friendly people, and we have a highly accessible sport that can be enjoyed by all ages. There are clubs in all regions of England, so wherever you live you should be able to find somewhere to play and we can also help you set up a club of your own.
LEARN HOW TO PLAY
It’s very easy to learn the basics of pétanque and our clubs can get complete novices up and running in a short space of time. Before you know it, you will be pointing and shooting and getting that first win under your belt by getting a winning score of 13 points!
Although a very easy sport for people to start playing, there’s a lot more to pétanque than meets the eye – that’s where our coaches come in, teaching our members how to improve their technique, tactics and mental approach. How to hold a boule, stance, different ways to point and shoot, game play, deciding what the next best play should be and keeping calm under pressure are all part of perfecting your mastery of the sport.
Teamwork is a big part of pétanque and working with your playing partners is one of the most enjoyable parts. So many long-term friendships have been forged on a pitch.
Thanks to our sponsors
INTERNATIONAL SQUADS
ENGLAND YOUTH
Here’s where it all starts in our sport. Our coaches particularly love working with young players and helping them develop their skills. Our national youth teams compete at European and World levels and travel the globe.
ENGLAND ESPOIRS
Espoir means ‘hope’ in French and is the transition between our youth teams and our senior teams. Players are under 23 and we compete in both male and female categories at European level.
ENGLAND SENIORS
Our senior teams include Men, Women and Veterans (over 55 years old). They all compete at National, European and World levels in the main formats of our sport – Singles, Doubles and Triples.