Since a conversation between three mates 18 months ago, the Myrtleford Savoy Bocce Club has gone from a defunct organisation, to revitalised, to hosting an international bocce tournament - what a wild ride.

The Myrtleford Savoy Bocce Club will host the 2026 Asia Oceania Sport Boules Confederation Championships from August 21-23, a massive coup for the newly revived club.

National teams from Australian, China and Japan will descend on Myrtelford in late August in one of the biggest international bocce events on the calendar.

The teams will also stick around for a few days after the event, to take in the sights and experiences of the region, as well as bask in the history of the host club.

First conceived in the 1950s, the Myrtleford Savoy Bocce Club was forced to shutter its doors in 2019 due to dwindling membership numbers.

Since club president Anthony Zanghellini reignited the fire early last year, the progress has been staggering.

It’s been a labour of love for Zanghellini, alongside Jamie Rebuffo, Danny Perez, Jason Dyball and Angelo Sacco, but their hard work has borne fruit.

“We originally talked about reforming the bocce club in January 2025, we started to get serious around March-April,” Zanghellini said.

“From there, I got in contact with Frank Funari, president of Bocce Australia, to find out a little bit more about what the lay of the land was with bocce as a sport, and his feedback was bocce has gone from strength to strength which was great to hear.

“It went against some of the feedback locally with the turn of tide and the bocce club folding several years ago, we had to look at things holistically and logically, and whether or not we could make a go of it.

“The discussions around having a go at this, that was in January of last year, but we picked up our first shovel in august 2025, so in the space of 11 months we’ve gone from going in and having a look at the state of things, to having the Asia-Oceania [titles].”

Zanghellini said the partnership with Bocce Australia and Bocce Victoria had proved invaluable.

“Frank and Bocce Australia and Victoria have been nothing short of fantastic,” he said.

“Frank came up for a tour of the facilities earlier this year, and we earmarked two potential championships we could have at the venue, then it was over to us to put the improvements in at the club itself.

“When we got them [the courts], they really were starting to turn into a state of decay.

“There have been hundreds of hours put into the courts to get those back up to speed and resealing them properly to an adequate state.

“When Frank came up earlier this year, he commented the courts were the talk of Melbourne, and they regarded them as among the best in Australia.

“We’ve also recently invested a lot of time and money into the rear courts, there are three there, and we’ve turned them into raffa courts.

“Raffa is a different style of bocce, and by offering raffa, we’ll be able to draw bocce clubs from not only all of Australia but internationally.”

President of Club Savoy, Anna Fin Genero, said having bocce back and so prominent in the national and international sphere was a welcome reminder of the history the game has in the region.

“In the 1950s, the local Italian men gathered on the weekends to play bocce and as the club evolved, formalised bocce teams were established for men and women,” she said.

“As president of Club Savoy, it was sad to see the courts left vacant, a ghost of their former glory, but the work Anthony and the team have done has been incredible and they need to be commended for their passion and dedication.

“Bocce is a fabulous sport that promotes inclusion due to its accessibility to people of different ages, abilities and skill levels.

“Bocce celebrates culture and builds community, and we look forward to welcoming our guests from around Australia, India, China and Japan, and sharing our hospitality with them.

“We hope many locals will come along and support this event and be inspired by the skills of these sports men and women.”

No one accomplishes anything alone, and the Myrtleford Savoy Bocce club wish to thank all the sponsors, volunteers, and supporters for all of their help in getting the courts ready for such am event, in particular the crew at Dahlsens Mirte 10 Myrtleford for their understanding and assistance with niche requests.

The Myrtleford Savoy Bocce Club will host the 2026 Asia Oceania Sport Boules Confederation Championships from August 21-23.