SCOTTISH VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION
Annual Report 2009 to 2010
SCOTTISH VOLLEYBALL SPONSORS
SCOTTISH VOLLEYBALL PARTNERS
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CONTENTS PAGE Message from the President
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CEO Review and Looking Forward
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Finance Report
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Commission Reports Beach Coaching Competitions International Special Events Report Referees Student (Universities) Youth Development & Junior National League Report
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National Teams Report Senior Women’s Senior Men’s Young Senior Women Young Senior Men
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2009/2010 Statistical Report
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Images proved by Lynne Marshall and Michael McConville from www.volleyballphotos.co.uk The SVA wish to thank both Lynne and Michael for their dedication in attending the SVA events and providing us with the SVA Gallery.
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Welcome to this year’s Annual Report. The year began with the publication of the SVA’s new 2009/2013 Strategic Plan. The development of this vision for the future of Scottish Volleyball had taken place over an eight month period, and benefitted from the input of a host of contributors, from SVA Clubs, through partner organisations like sportscotland, to the SVA Staff and Commissions, and many individual members. The priorities and targets have been set, and the work is ongoing to make Scottish Volleyball 30% bigger, better and stronger. Colin McGinlay
I would ask you to read the various Commission reports, and recognise that Scottish Volleyball is ahead of the game in developing our sport. There is increased activity in the coaching front, which includes the successful introduction of the UKCC level I course, there’s more happening on the Beach front, including our first ever Beach Coaching Course presented by Denise Austin, there was the ground breaking initiative which saw our top International Referees officiating in the French professional leagues, and there’s so much more happening with the students game. I was personally privy to the increased activity in Student Volleyball, watching my daughter play for Edinburgh in Glasgow, where there was too many teams for one venue, with students changing halls to officiate other matches. And now the Further Education colleges are muscling back into the scene…….as I said, 30% bigger, better and stronger! The Competitions Committee has overseen the staging of a huge array of competitions. There have been National Championships, National Cups, Top Teams Cups, Thistle Bowls, Junior National Leagues….. all in all 17 different competitions. Through all of this the Special Events Committee can be seen supporting the efforts of the players, the coaches, the referees, the volunteers, ensuring there is a suitable showcase for the excellence we are producing, with their efforts culminating in the Finals Weekend, which was triumph in so many ways. Special mention perhaps goes to all of the teams who participated in the School’s Cup competition. In it’s second year the competition is going from strength to strength, and the final’s nights were spectacular. The standard of the performances was simply excellent, and the promise for the future of our game is there for all to see…...and I’ll say it again, 30% bigger, better and stronger. Scottish Volleyball is driving forward to achieve its targets, if you believe you have something to offer which will help us get there, contact the SVA office, or speak to any of the Commission members, your input and help will be warmly received. Colin McGinlay SVA President
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CEO REVIEW AND LOOKING FORWARD Scottish Volleyball’s Staff, Board, Commissions and Volunteers have worked hard to complete year one of our four year Strategic Plan ‘30% Bigger Better and Stronger’ and we are well on our way to seeing significant changes in how we deliver and develop our sport. 94% of the year one Key Performance Indicators (KPI) were fully achieved with the remaining 6% carrying over into year two. The success of the 2009/10 year one business Operational Plan has ensured that we have a fantastic base to really make the difference in years two and three before we look to review in 2012. This has been an exciting and absorbing year where the SVA office has significantly improved its corporate delivery and strengthened our communications with members and clubs. Key areas of delivery: Member and Commission communication audit completed, analysed and actions delivered
Margaret Ann Fleming
Implementation of an SVA Administration day for Clubs and Commissions Completion of sportscotland’s business operational plan 2009/10 Sponsorship: expansion of two key partners, Gerflor and Schelde New Staff: Pathways Manager and Administrative Officer Events: GB, Youth Internationals, British Police Championships, Top Teams Cup and Scottish Semi and Cup Finals
Increased Beach Tour dates with Scottish National representation in Russia at the CEV U23 Championships
Attainment of sportscotlands Equity Foundation Level Sitting Volleyball Programme: support from Glasgow Mets VC
The SVA Board and Commissions have increased both in size and experience. The Board has a new co-opted member Scott Borthwick, who has taken a lead role within our 2009—2013 Strategic Plan by helping to produce the new Articles for the Association. All of our Commissions have successfully recruited new members especially Special Events and the Youth and Schools . We also have a new sportscotland Partnership Manager Malcolm Dingwall-Smith who has been a vital support to both Board and the Office. Key areas of delivery: Competitions and Events: National priority to increase profile and professionalism University: increased participation base and competition structures Beach: expansion of tour, youth involvement and player pathways Coaching: leading the way with the UK Coaching Framework and Coaching Certificate Referees: establishing a 2012 Olympic training programme and senior International appointments in Europe
Youth and Schools: re-establishment of the Commission and recruitment of new members
Looking forward, the Association shall work tirelessly in all areas within the 2009-13 Strategic Plan. The action threads contained in this plan aim to make Scottish Volleyball bigger, better and stronger, offering opportunities for our clubs to be ready for 2012, 2014 and beyond. Key Areas of development 2010-11: 2011 Lanarkshire Children’s Games Small Countries Beach Event, 2011 GB European League Event, 2011 FIVB and CEV Congress, September, October 2010 respectively Margaret Ann Fleming Chief Executive Officer
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FINANCE The provisional accounts for the year end 31st March 2010 have been prepared by the SVA Finance Officer, Ailien Pallot and reviewed by Haines Watt Chartered Accountants INCOME Total annual income of £308,476 (2009 - £271,044) reflects increased Sportscotland funding, continued sponsorship income as well as brought forward balances funding activities such as the Club Grant Scheme. Sportscotland Sportscotland grant support during the year of £204,720 (2009 - £197,500) included additional funding of £9,720 towards the UKCC programme and £10,000 capital investment for the purchase of the Taraflex flooring. The SVA also generated income of £91,293 (2009 - £74,308) primarily from player and official registration fees of £ 27,968, affiliation fees £ 4,437, competition fees of £6,116 and coaching and referee course income of £15,841. Sponsorship We are pleased to confirm the continued support from our National League sponsors, PTE Schelde Sports who came on board initially last year, including £4,000 and beach equipment to the value of £1,500. Gerflor have continued with their support with £ 2,500 towards the Junior programme, £2,000 from commission sales of Gerflor products, with further funding committed to 2010/11 forthcoming. Red Bull continued their involvement with the Beach Tour and at National Events with an estimated value of £2,000 in product. Mikasa have also continued their support of the association with the continued roll out of club equipment. Local Authority partnership for GB and International Events totalling £13,000. Special mention and thanks to Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council for their continued support of Scottish Volleyball. EXPENDITURE Total annual expenditure of £309,840 increased in line with the increased activity resulting from the additional funding received (2009 - £287,654). Website We have continued to invest in upgrading the website £ 2,500 with the beach on-line registration system and the club administration functions. The Website’s direct traffic has grown considerably, the site is up by 44% with people coming more often from search engines (+20%) and a massive increase (+872%) in referrals from Facebook, with our top content pages being league/cup results, galleries and news. Staff costs Staffing costs increased to £ 163,750 (2009 - £141,998) which reflects the increased activities of the SVA during the year including the recruitment of a Pathways Manager. AUDITOR Susan Morgan of Morgan & Co resigned as auditor last year and the SVA are pleased to confirm the appointment of Haines Watt, Chartered Accountants following a tender process. Margaret Ann Fleming Chief Executive Officer
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BEACH COMMISSION The Scottish Beach Volleyball Tour has had another very successful season on the sand, with average numbers up from last year and the number of events also up from last year, with 8 tour events and 2 junior festivals for 2009. This year we had sponsorship from Mikasa, Schelde and Red Bull. The SVA provided extra funds this year to enable the Beach Commission to purchase a sturdy ex-army marquee, which was well used throughout the summer. As last year, there was also funding made available to hire vans to take all the necessary equipment around the country from venue to venue. 2009 saw Aberdeen represented for the first time on the tour with the first ever Grampian Open seeing sunshine and a good number of spectators watching from the promenade. Mel Coutts and Gillian Lyall renewing an old partnership to take the women’s title and Colin Paterson and Graham Riddle taking the men’s title. It was off to Troon for the next 2 events in the form of the West Coast Junior Beach Festival and the first of the Troon Open events. The Junior Beach Festival was again very successful with juniors getting a Grampian Open 2009 taste of what beach volleyball is all about with some coaching followed by tournament play. Steven Cruse and Sean Kenny took the Senior boys title. The pairing of Hannah Grant and Hazel Gow won the Senior girls with Gillian Hair and Nat Caldwell taking the junior girls title. A close junior boys group was narrowly won by Sam Revie and Grant Gwynne. The first of the Troon Open events was next with Mel Coutts and Eilidh Smith winning the women’s event and Colin Paterson playing with Konrad Krawczyk winning the men’s event. Portobello hosted the next 2 events with the East Coast Junior Beach Festival and the Portobello Open. The Junior Festival was also very successful with a similar format to the West Coast festival. The Portobello Open was the first of the 2-day events and attracted interest from down south with two GB players coming north of the border to test themselves against Scotland’s finest. Although they had some tough matches, Tom Lord and Phil Smith came out deserved winners of the men’s event with Mel Coutts and Eilidh Smith winning the women’s. Portobello continues to attract the most players on the Scottish Tour with 100 players attending this year. The next event was St Andrews and it was again a 2-day event, providing everyone with plenty of matches on both days. Free camping was provided by Fife Council next to the beach and the 2-day format also allowed a top social event to be organised for the Saturday night. Graham Riddle defended his title with a new partner in Konrad Krawczyk with the women’s event again being won by Coutts and Smith. Smith & Coutts
Broughty Ferry hosted the fifth event on the tour. The weather, as for all the 2009 events, was fantastic, especially when compared with last year! Riddle, this time playing with his regular partner, Barry McGuigan, took the title, defeating an improving Colin Macnab and Gavin Watt. Coutts and Smith took the women’s title. Riddle and McGuigan and Coutts and Smith continued their dominance at the Jets Open, Portobello. Macnab and Watt and Michelle Paterson and Claire Penny again gallant runners-up. Troon Volleyball Club ran 2 events this year and both events ran well, with more than 60 players at each event. Watt and Macnab and Gillian Lyall and Elaine Krawczyk took advantage of the absence of the top teams to take the trophies. 7
It was back to St Andrews for the final event and the King and Queen of the Beach. The event is entered as an individual and players play in pools of 4 playing with each player in turn, against the remaining 2 players. After the 3 matches, the top 2 players in terms of points won progressed to the next round of pools, the losers went into playoff pools. The format was again a great success, with some excellent play. Graham Riddle and Mel Coutts were crowned King and Queen for 2009. Riddle, Coutts and Smith took the overall Scottish Tour titles for 2009. In addition to all that is happening on the Scottish Tour, there have been Scottish representation at events on the English Tour, and the World and European Tours with notable results by Mel Coutts winning at Weymouth this year and runners-up at the English Finals with Denise Austin. The pair will also compete at the CEV event in Blackpool this year. Barry McGuigan and Graham Riddle have also competed down south this year, coming runners-up at Skegness and at the English Finals.
Colin Macnab and Gavin Watt in Russia
On the World and European Tours, Shauna Mullin and Robin Miedzybrodzki (formerly of the City of Edinburgh Club) continue to do well. Shauna had a fantastic result recently in Kristiansand, Norway when, having struggled to qualify for main draws in 2009, she, and her partner, Zara Dampney, beat some top opposition to finish 9th. Both also competed in Blackpool. Following the CEV event in Blackpool was the FIVB World Under-21 Championships, where Seain Cook gained his first taste of international beach volleyball. Also this year, Colin Macnab and Gavin Watt travelled to Russia to compete for Scotland in the CEV Under-23 Championships. They had a fantastic experience, both on and off the court. Beach Volleyball officials have also been working hard. Michelle Paterson has been liaising with the SVA Referees Commission and the BVF Beach Co-ordinator and has been training scorers and linejudges in preparation for international events and ultimately London 2012. She was invited to go to Norway recently to score at an FIVB event and brought back invaluable experience which she has been passing on to her trainees. She also attended the CEV and FIVB events in Blackpool along with Iain Cook and Sue Kee. Beach Linejudge in action
Reports of all beach volleyball events are on the SVA website.
A big thanks to the SVA Office for all their hard work, also to the organisers of all of the events and to all who participated. Looking forward to seeing you all on the Scottish Beach Tour in 2010! Colin Paterson President, Beach Commission
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COACHING COMMISSION Every year for the Coaches Commission is busy, this one was no exception, but this one was also challenging, very enjoyable and quite fulfilling. There were several key themes running through the year; The ongoing development of the Workforce Development Plan initiative – this almost took centre stage at meetings. The work which was undertaken included a detailed modelling exercise to ensure the work of the Coaches Commission in the Coach Education and Development arenas aligned with sportscoach UKs Coaching Framework initiative. The outcome from the all of the discussions has been a clarification of what is required from this initiative, and the establishment of the Collaborative Practice Workshop Day. The CPWD project will see members of the Coaches Commission, the Schools and Youth Commission, and the Students Commission get together to identify and structure collaborative projects to develop the sport…..it takes place on May 8th – watch out for developments. The roll out of the UKCC level I course has been the centre stage this past year. It is linked to the WDP initiative as we took the level I courses all over Scotland. It started with a Staff Tutor Development course at Inverclyde in July – then the bandwagon rolled to Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen. Upgrading the Staff Tutors has been a development theme, as has fine tuning both the material, and the delivery methodology. Our efforts in the development and implementation of the UKCC course have been heralded as ‘excellent practice’ by sportscotland…..so well done to all, and perhaps in particular to Malcolm McLean and John Orr for their sterling contributions. Level II is in the pipeline…… Of course there has been a full range of CPD courses – special mention needs to be made of Heather Darling and her players, and the Edinburgh Club in general for their help with the Coaching Practice Clinics.
Kids from City of Edinburgh VC at CPD Clinic
The Fast Track Programme was revamped and reintroduced. The new format for the programme was universally supported by the coaches and players involved, and was pronounced a great success – with multiple requests to continue in the coming season.
There were two Coaches Forums which both lead to major initiatives; the North and East Forum created the vibrant Northern Development Project, the South and West Forum produced the Junior Player Passport Scheme proposal – more of which will become clear in the coming months. These are two great examples of the Coaches Commission going out to the Volleyball Public and responding to identified needs. The CC also promoted the hugely successful Coach Mentoring programme, with two new mentors being introduced and supported; we again delivered the Curriculum for Excellence course for teachers; we oversaw the appointment of two new Head Coaches for the National Team Programmes (senior men and young senior women) – a very busy year. My sincere thanks go to the members of the Coaches Commission for once again producing outstanding contributions to the development of the sport. My thanks to Mel Coutts who stepped down from the CC to take up a position on the SVA Board. My thanks also to the many Staff Tutors and Scottish Coaches who have supported the projects which have been developed and delivered by the Commission, and a particular mention to Craig Faill for his continued support and sage advice. Thomas Dowens President, Coaches Commission
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COMPETITIONS COMMISSION The Competitions Committee continued to administer the efficient running of five divisions of the National League and eight cup competitions; Scottish Cup, Thistle Bowl, Scottish Plate and Top Teams Cup. Gordon Laughland took a break from his involvement with the committee, and we were most fortunate to secure the services of Gordon Welsh as his replacement. Gordon Welsh brought a wealth of experience gained at the very top level of the game in Scotland and his input was most valuable in determining the outcome of any disputes which were raised. That said, there were few problems requiring mediation. The stability of the National leagues meant that clubs were able to stay within the boundaries of the regulations on the vast majority of occasions, and this was perhaps the least busiest year I have experienced in my 26 years on the Competitions Committee in terms of dispute resolution. Overall, the National League shrunk by one team; NUVOC and Dundee withdrew one of their men's teams each, as they sought to regroup while Cavalry Park returned to the National League after a year away to reform their team. Competition winners were as follows Mens Division One Womens Division One Mens Division Two Womens Division Two Mens Division Three
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City of Edinburgh City of Edinburgh Kilmarnock II Glasgow International South Ayrshire
Mens Scottish Cup Womens Scottish Cup Mens Top Teams Cup Womens Top Teams Cup
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City of Glasgow Ragazzi Troon Prestwick & Ayr City of Edinburgh City of Edinburgh
Mens Thistle Bowl Womens Thistle Bowl Mens Scottish Plate Womens Scottish Plate
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Edinburgh Jets City of Edinburgh Su Ragazzi II Troon Kyle & Carrick
National Cup Finals 2009/10
In the only major administrative change for next season, the Competitions Committee will be demitting the right to hear appeals on competitions matters to an independent appeals panel, as it was deemed to be divisive to have the same group as had made a decision then be responsible for hearing the appeal on the matter. My thanks are due to the Referees Commission for staffing the top competitions with match officials, and to the Special Events Committee for ensuring that the Finals weekend were a major success. Steve Scott President, Competitions Committee
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INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL EVENTS COMMISSION 2009/10 has been an extremely successful year for the Special Events team. We have increased the number of events in which we are involved and have made a real ‘push’ to improve the quality of the events that we are delivering. June 2009 saw us hosting our first European League weekend in Meadowbank, Edinburgh and it was a fantastic weekend of volleyball. Romania and Croatia were the visiting teams to play against the Great Britain men’s and women’s squads. Scottish Volleyball put on a spectacle of an event, and deEuropean League at Meadowbank spite a few equipment challenges, it was hailed a great success. The venue looked fantastic on Eurosport, a great crowd boosted the GB squads and behind the scenes the number of volunteers helping out was fantastic. It was also great to see Lynne Beattie, former Scottish Internationalist, captain the women’s GB Squad. I was also lucky enough to be invited to be involved in all the home European League events. This involved two events in Sheffield and one in Norwich. I gained a great deal of experience, made new friends and had a fantastic summer of volleyball! This is part of, what I hope is, preparation for being involved in London 2012. For the Special Events team, the next event was the Top Teams Cup Final – renamed the John Syer Trophy. We changed the format this year, fewer games, and it worked. Wishaw Sports Centre was the venue and City of Edinburgh men and women were the victors in both matches! December was a busy month for the SE team with the weekend following the John Syer trophy being the annual Christmas Internationals. The U20 Junior Squads once again played their counterparts from England in another great volleyball event. This time the Kelvin Hall provided the backdrop and the hall looked incredibly smart as the players battled on the court. The Scottish Men and the English Women were the victors – both worthy winners. In 2010, the calendar got very busy. Over the course of March and April, the Special Events team helped deliver:
Junior Internationals December 2009
Cup Semi Finals (held at the Kelvin Hall Sports Arena) Boys Scottish Schools Finals (at Coatbridge High School) Girls Scottish Schools Finals (at Coatbridge High School) U16 Junior National League Finals (at Wishaw Sports Centre) U19 Junior National League Playoffs (at Wishaw Sports Centre) The 2009/10 domestic season culminated in the Scottish National Finals weekend are still fresh in my mind, which as I write this report. It was a fantastic spectacle of volleyball, held at Wishaw Sports Centre. The SE team worked hard to make the venue look spectacular – the Taraflex floor, the branding, and the little touches that most people wouldn’t even notice! Over the course of the weekend the eight finals saw around 800 spectators in attendance – a record for our National Finals Weekend. It was fantastic! There’s no time for a break though – some of the SE team are once again getting involved in the GB set up. I am heading to all five GB events this summer – in Sheffield and London as Technical Manager/Court Manager. Mike Heaney and Iain Cook are also getting involved through the Stats team
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and the NTO programme. It’s an exciting time for events this summer as we look forward to London 2012!
Special Events Team
I want to thank my team for all the hard work they have put in over the last year. Gail Campbell, Mike Heaney, Scott Gavin, Steven Torrance and Laura McReady have all done a fabulous job and deserve a huge thank you. I would also like to welcome our new members – Iain Cook and Martin McMullen who stepped on board for the Cup Finals Weekend and did a fantastic job. Welcome to the best events team! We have also linked with Lynne Marshall and Michael McConville (www.volleyballphotos.co.uk) who will be honorary Special Events members as photographers!
I’m looking forward to another season of exciting volleyball events and once again we will be aiming to make them even better, bigger and stronger! Jennifer Downs President – Special Events Commission
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REFEREES COMMISSION Domestic Training Activities — Servicing of Competitions — International Involvements Achievements 1. Domestic Training Activities: The following courses have run Grade 4, Grade 3, JNL introductory and JNL upgrade 2. Servicing of Competitions and Other Activities Appointments to League and Cup (Targets met – matches provided with referees as per regulations, although teams still not providing information on time).
Appointments to and servicing of other SVA Competitions and SVA Recognised Competitions (Targets met), including line judges and scorers.
Appointments to Scottish Open Volleyball Tournament
In connection to all the above full credit is due to Brian MacDougall for his sterling efforts on behalf of volleyball to appoint to all competitions.
Brian MacDougall International Referee
3. International Involvements Appointments to Internationals (Targets met: all internationals provided with referees, line judges and scorers – and Technical Delegate, as required).
Appointment to BVF Training events has proved troublesome and the reduction in Government funding has meant that the Home Nations referees Commissions have had to pick up the expenses. Training for potential Olympic NTO (line judges and scorers) continued with EuroLeague events, run by Sandy Steel, initially. Further training events will take place within the Home Nations. CEV appointments – international referee administration and appointments (Targets met)
FFVB appointments - the impact of these appointments for our international referees has been without measure – many thanks are due to Patrick Rachard of France for making this happen.
FIVB Activities – Referee Administration, registration and ratification/ Rules of the Game Commission/ World Championships Events. Brian MacDougall will take the reins of his first FIVB World Championship event later this season, September 2010, the first British referee to do so. Well done! John Swan and Grant Macintyre have also been getting more appointments, but there still seems a disparity between ourselves and other European Referees.
UK School games missed the benefit from SVA personnel involvement, but this should not happen in 2010. Sandy Steel is expected to make regular reports to FIVB regarding the training of NTOs. Training in Detail The new format of Grade 3 has proved to be successful, allowing the maximum of enjoyment from the participants, and a minimum commitment, which in this climate is important, for those who both referee, score, line judge, take part in micro-teaching situations - and of course play. It is a fun way to learn. We still require more clubs to help us organise these with enough advance notice to pull in candidates from other clubs. The process has to be constantly on the agenda of training opportunities, and Club Development targets. We would also wish Clubs to see evening sessions as possible vehicles for Grading Courses: a 12 hour-two weekend course can be split into 6 x 2 hour evening or twilight sessions with no loss of quality; modular certification would also be facilitated by this framework. This was successfully piloted in Lothian last year, and a truncated course with advanced reading was run this year in Dundee and offered at Su Ragazzi. Remember that the practical part of Grade 3 can be in a variety of places and times to suit the candidates – training games, tournaments, proper matches (given enough notice to get an observer on site). 13
The new JNL referee course has again run successfully, with last year’s successful candidates coming back and upgrading to full Grade 4 status. Well done all of you! The new one-day Grade 2 is also proving to be a successful format, but again relies heavily on tournaments being organised by local contacts. Our thanks go to all those who have helped us in this. Commission Responsibilities Brian MacDougall has again performed miracles in appointing the referees to the National League and other competitions. Albert Jaster has been instrumental in driving changes to Grade 4 – and still managed to squeeze in some refereeing and was on duty at the Cup Final week-end. John Swan organises the Commission Meetings Sandy Steel is in charge of Grade 1 and Elite schemes. This year we occasionally lost the services of Alan Bryce through his involvement with things international. Alan is in charge of Grade 2 courses. Grant Macintyre is in charge of appointments to SOVC, is Commission Vice-President and is the Coordinator of Training opportunities within the BVF set-up for Scotland.
Sue Kee officiating at SVA Event
Graeme Allen again continues to be our liaison with the Beach Commission. Through Graeme, we seek to generate Beach Referees and NTOs, with a view to possible Olympic involvement. A Grade 4 and a Grade 3 Beach referees course will run in St Andrews later this session Alice Stewart and Douglas Orr have coordinated the Olympic Training for Scottish NTOs (Alice with Sue Kee to coordinate and train line judges; Douglas and Lesley Orr to train the scorers). They come in at an exciting time – the Olympic Games are only TWO years away and getting everyone up to speed will occupy a considerable amount of time. International Referees/ International Involvements Currently we have had three fully ratified international referees. The relatively healthy number of CEV appointments have shown that our referees are every bit as good as other European referees. Nevertheless, we continue to need our referees to gain nomination to Youth and Junior World Events in preparation for London 2012.
Grant McIntyre International Referee
Sandy Steel attended the FIVB Headquarters in Chateau les Tourelles, Switzerland, as President of FIVB’s Rules of the Game Commission, in January 2010 and again for the Executive / Board meeting in March to determine the annual budget and formalise the Working programme for 2009-10. He also attended a special meeting in Lausanne to determine the direction of the two Libero issue started at the last Congress in Dubai. At the time of writing he is due to conduct a training session in Sheffield in May for potential NTOs, and act as Referee Supervisor in the World Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Three of our NTOs will score at Beach events this summer as part of the GB NTO programme. Well done to all those involved and I hope to see you all in September at the Referees MENTORING Seminar (it isn’t just for Referees). Sandy Steel President, Referees Commission
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STUDENT COMMISSION The past season has been busy for those involved in the student sector of our sport. Registration numbers of students continues to be very healthy, with 294 players registering to play in inter-university competition (this figure excludes the many students who have registered to play national league). The usual fascinating mix of nationalities, playing experience and motivations continues to make student volleyball a vibrant and rewarding area of activity. Competition Twenty four teams participated in this season’s Scottish Universities leagues for men and women, with Napier and Dundee Universities deservedly taking the women’s and men’s division 1 honours respectively, while Aberdeen won both the men’s and women’s 2nd division. In the Cup competition there was again a healthy entry with twenty one teams involved, with Dundee and Aberdeen completing the double in the men’s and women’s competition respectively. Student sporting competition provides an opportunity for many young players to become more seriously involved in the sport and also offers the chance for one or two individuals to progress further along the performance continuum. Scottish teams did particularly well once more on the British stage this season, with Edinburgh women and Dundee men reaching the British Universities Championship Finals, where Edinburgh finished 4th and Dundee 8th. In the British Universities Trophy event congratulations go to Dundee who beat Glasgow in an all-Scottish women’s final and Glasgow who won the men’s competition. On the representative front Scottish Universities men and women met the Senior National men’s and women’s teams and the national junior women’s team in the third Student Challenge event at Dundee University in April. This event is unique in enabling student representative squads to compete against the National Team Programmes and provides valuable competition exposure for all concerned.
Scottish Universities Women’s Squad 2010 with coach Tom Rooney
Further Education Activity Following last year’s inaugural Scottish Colleges Volleyball Tournament development of volleyball activity within Scottish Colleges has continued. This year saw a more formal competitive structure with an East and West Tournament leading to a Scottish Colleges Final in Glasgow where Dundee won the women’s event and Telford the men’s. Dundee’s progression saw them compete in the British Colleges tournament in Loughborough, finishing a creditable 6th. College volleyball represents an area of significant potential growth for the Association and development of the sport in this sector can only go from strength to strength. Finally, special congratulations should go to Glasgow Caledonian University’s Kim Tissington, who was presented with the inaugural Scottish Student Volleyball Volunteer of the Year Award in November. Student volleyball is a hotbed of enthusiastic, able and committed volunteers such as Kim and they are all to be congratulated on fostering such a vibrant and important part of the Association’s activity. Paul McPate President Student Commission
The Scottish teams competing in the British Universities Championships in Sheffield
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YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Youth and Schools Commission The Youth and Schools Commission has been reformed and has the following members; Sandra Grubb Ian Brownlee Heather Darling Greg Coburn Douglas Orr Jess Reid Graham Houston Gordon Cree Elaine Krawczyk Margaret Brown
SVA City of Edinburgh City of Edinburgh Carluke High School South Ayrshire Marr College Marr College Troon, Preswick and Ayr Troon, Prestwick and Ayr Queensferry Primary
The Commission met twice during the season and have planned to have 1 last meeting to discuss options for next season. Marr College Under 16 Boys
Grant Aid
There were 4 different categories of grant aid. Gold Star, Club Development, Early Club Development and Club Start. Gold Star 2 available at £500.00 each – 2 awarded Club Development 4 available at £250.00 – 4 awarded Early Club Development – 20 available at £100.00 – 23 awarded Club start 2 available at £400.00 – 2 awarded The Grant Scheme has been very successful with all awards available being allocated. Several of the reports from the schools/clubs have already appeared on the website and the remaining articles with a list of all clubs/schools receiving the awards will be posted on the website very soon. Beach There has been 2 Junior Beach Events organised for Saturday 5th June 2010. one will be at Portobello beach and the other will be at Troon Beach. The advertising for this has started earlier this year with Active Schools being involved so hopefully we will see an increase in entries from last year. Junior National League After 7 rounds of the JNL, the top 4 teams in each section qualified for the playoffs. The results were as follows; U19 Boys
U19 Girls
City of Edinburgh A South Ayrshire Marr College City of Edinburgh B
South Ayrshire Marr College City of Edinburgh North Lanarkshire Ragazzi
U16 Boys
U16 Girls
Marr College Belmont Troon South Ayrshire City of Edinburgh
Marr College A Marr College B South Ayrshire Marr College C
Marr Under 16 Girls
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The Junior National League was a great success with all finals producing some excellent volleyball. Organising Committee for the JNL was Sandra Grubb, Douglas Orr and Steve Scott A total of 26 teams took part which we are hoping to increase for 2010/2011 JNL Refereeing The JNL Grade IV Referees Course took place in September at The Citadel in Ayr with 31 kids signed up. A Grade IV Referees Course and Grade IV Upgrade will once again run in Sept 2010. Scottish Schools Cup The Scottish Schools Cup took place again this year with an increase of 12% in team entries. P7/S1 S2/3 S4/5/6
24 teams entered 21 teams entered 27 teams entered
Both final days took place at Coatbridge High School. This event was a huge success and my thanks go to the organiser Greg Coburn and also North Lanarkshire Council for their continued support. We are going to make this event even bigger next year and plans are already under way to ensure this will happen.
P7/S1 Winners — Queensferry High School
Meet me at the Net My new “Meet me at the Net” project was up and running this season with my first visit being Dundee Volleyball Club. I met with 10 clubs including a Junior National League Club, a District League Club who entered the Scottish Cup and also a Recreational Club who again entered our Scottish Cup Competition. My plan for this season is to meet with the remaining clubs who I did not get to visit in season 2009-2010. Action for 2010-2011
To recruit more schools through Active Schools, School Affiliation Projects and offers. We hope to maintain the teams we have already participating in the JNL and contact has already been made with several clubs to recruit more teams.
Increase the number of schools participating in the Scottish Schools Cup. A possible outdoor Summer Cup to be held at Carluke High School in August. An additional National Schools Senior festival to be held at Bells Sports Centre in Perth Club of the Year The Role Out of our Flagship Club Project.
Sandra Grubb President, Youth & Schools Commission
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SENIOR WOMENS NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAMME The National women’s side has endured another season of change. Personnel have altered radically yet again restricting the opportunity to challenge on any real front. However competition chances has increased and the coaching staff has taken the opportunity to introduce a range of new players to international volleyball with a view to qualifying for the small nations finals for the first time in four years. The first tournament of the year was the Breda Invitational. This tournament is pitched at the correct development level for the Scotland group. A slow start was typical and Scotland struggled to gain any real momentum before the third round of matches. From this point on Scotland won all games and finished a credible second.
National Women Team in Leeds May 2010
The spell from June to December saw the squad come together in their training base at Coltness High School. It has become a real hub for volleyball. We thank North Lanarkshire Council for their support and particularly Head Teacher, Donnie Ferguson. The janitorial staff, led by Robert and Ricky is fabulous and they create a welcoming, safe and volleyball appropriate environment. A bonus event came our way in the shape of the Novotel Tournament in Luxembourg in January. Once more the composition of the team was altered and the team struggled against higher-level opposition although threatened to take the match against Luxembourg before losing 2-3. Next phase came as another competition element in Dundee where the squad went through the university opposition undefeated. Three more new caps were introduced. Back to the gym for a few sessions and onto the Carnegie invitational, Yet another two new caps were introduced to the side. The system began to function but too infrequently and too inconsistently. The team is now putting itself in a position to win but has yet to learn how to close out matches. This next phase is new. Intensity of training will mean that sessions will operate twice per week for a six-week period through to European Small Nations in Liechtenstein in June. Both players and staff are already seeing the improvement in all fronts. This level of practice and competition is highlighting the financial plight of National Team representation in this country. Players are digging deep to fund trips and practice venues. If we are to mount any serious international challenge then we need support in developing an infrastructure, which values and considers the needs of players at this level. The coaching staff wish to thank the Association, Referees and most of all the players for their not inconsiderable efforts with a final wish that qualification results in June. Every team should have a Gail Wilson. She makes the job easier for the rest of us. Thank you, Gail John French Head Coach
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SENIOR MENS NATIONAL TEAMS PROGRAMME Since I took up the role of Head Coach for the Scotland Senior Men in October last year I have been immensely impressed by the way the players have bought into my philosophy and style of Volleyball. Each player that I have worked with has shown the utmost commitment to training and playing for Scotland. This is clearly an excellent starting point for me. The squad have had a number of training sessions and we have worked with over 25 players, many of whom have graduated from the impressive crop of Juniors that Simon Coleman has worked with over the last couple of seasons. In December we travelled to Kettering for a training camp with the England Development, and Junior teams. This camp was a preparation camp for the Novotel Cup in Luxembourg but more importantly a chance to see the team in competitive action before going to Luxembourg. The camp was very successful and the team spirit, which has been highly evident since, flourished.
Simon Loftus
Luxembourg was, from a personal point of view, the highlight of my coaching career; leading Scotland in my first tournament as Head Coach will live long in the memory. We lost all three games, but out of the eleven sets we played there was only one which I would say we did not perform. Austria were extremely good and we fought to stay with them every point, Luxembourg our old rivals gave us opportunities but on their home court we never grasped them and in our first game we went down 3-2 to Latvia. All of this showed me the all twelve players selected can compete at international level but if we are to start winning these games we need to be playing more often. The pressure that these matches exerted on the players simply can not be replicated in practice. Until you are in the situation often enough it will always be difficult to know how to react and what the differences are between National League and International Volleyball. Away from the actual playing I have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to assemble a fantastic support team; Assistant Coach – Steve Milne. Steve’s enthusiasm and motivation have been amazing and undoubtedly his personality is rubbing off on the players. Assistant Coach – Iain Parker. Iain has followed me from the Junior Women’s programme and we have continued a great working relationship. Team Manager – Steve Scott. Steve has been fantastic for me and the programme. His knowledge of the game and the players has made my life much easier and he is a fantastic asset to the programme and Scottish Volleyball. As we continue our preparations for the Small Nations Qualifiers in Andorra we have a tournament 1/2nd May in Leeds where we will play the GB Development Squad, Leeds Carnegie, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. This high level tournament will provide another opportunity to perform and work on the system as well as some of the options we have in terms of personnel. Going forward I feel that we have the players, the talent and the desire to improve as a National Team. However, finances dictate that we cannot have the sort of programme that the National Team enjoyed with the lottery money that was available when I played. As such I think we have to be realistic about what can be achieved, whilst all the time looking for opportunities to raise funding or sponsorship which can enhance the programme. I am really looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and look forward to forthcoming season. Simon Loftus Head Coach 19
YOUNG SENIOR WOMENS NATIONAL TEAMS PROGRAMME Report from Interim Head Coach In the brief spell I was holding Head Coach of the YS Women's Team I had the opportunity to develop a squad to face England at the Christmas Internationals. The first decision was to select a pool of the strongest contenders for the match from the 30+ girls involved in the programme and cut the numbers to 19. This allowed a more focused group to work with the aim of getting in the final 12 and also allowed a more manageable set of practices to be run by the coaches involved. The Staff Team of myself, Jillian Galloway and Linda Anderson agreed on which players this should be and the process was begun. Unfortunately Jillian could not make many of the sessions but was available sufficiently to contribute to the final selection of players, which was also discussed with Thomas Dowens before finalising. Preparation was spread over four sessions as we had two sessions in October, two in November in Coatbridge and I squeezed in the use of my club session on Tuesday 15th of December at Prestwick to pull the unit together before the games on 19/20 at Kelvin Hall. The selection process was extremely tough as all competed at a high level and some very disappointed girls were left out of the event, which is always the case with these situations.
Junior Internationals
The actual competition was a great experience for those that got through and although we did not win the players competed well and savoured the moment of playing in the International stage and in front of the large crowds that were in attendance over the two days. Overall I feel the time was productive and achieved some of the goals laid out in being competitive and had a unit that worked as a team. The coaching team were terrific, as always, and a pleasure to work with and from my perspective I learned a lot and have moved forwards as a coach. Iain Parker Interim Head Coach
Report from Current Head Coach I was delighted to be appointed the National Coach to the young senior women just a couple of months ago. Having been working as a coach with young senior women players over many years I was aware that we are currently in a period where the depth of quality of our young women players has never been better. This is a result of the great work put in by a number of youth coaches such as Jess Reid at Marr College, Douglas and John Orr at South Ayrshire and Gavin Watt and Ian Brownlee at City of Edinburgh. It has also come about because of the quality of work carried out by my predecessors as Head Coach Ian Parker and Simon Loftus. A great impetus has also been provided by the inception of the phenomal motivational and competitive opportunities provided by the UK School Games at which Scotland has enjoyed considerable success. It is my intention to work with a large group of excellent Scottish coaches including Tom Rooney, Jillian Galloway, Paul McPate, Heather Darling, Jenny Krawczyk, Eilidh Anderson and Martyn Johnstone and administrators such as Linda Anderson to ensure that we build on the base created by others. We plan to increase the number of playing opportunities for Junior Internationals
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this group so that as many young players as possible, many of whom will not be in the programme at the moment, can experience regular high quality competition,. To that end they have already been involved in a triangular tournament with the Scottish Universities and the Scotland senior team acquitting themselves very commendably and an under 18 and under 20 team will make their first ever appearances at the prestigious Scottish Open at Perth this season.
YS Women at Junior Internationals in December
It is our avowed intention to provide Scottish Volleyball with a large number of good quality volleyball players whom we will encourage to stay in and embellish the Scottish game at senior level. The programme will also act as a very substantial high quality base from which the senior national team can look to provide an unending stream of well prepared players who can help John French's Scotland seniors progress further at International level.
I would ask all coaches who are working with young players to watch out for information on the SVA web site which will allow their players the opportunity to participate in training days with the young seniors group . We will always operate an open door policy so that we give as many of the games’ young players access to working with the best young volleyballers in our country. Vincent Krawcyzk Head Coach
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YOUNG SENIOR MEN NATIONAL TEAMS PROGRAMME This year was a busy year for the Men’s YS programme, with practice sessions running from October to March, and two international matches vs. England. It was intended that this season would have a competition focus with a final target of the Junior Small Countries Division Tournament at Easter 2010. The programme staff changed this year with the addition of Stewart McGrenary as another assistant coach. Stewart’s domestic and international experience has been of the highest level and his input was very valuable, particularly in attacking techniques and tactics. The well-established team of Iain Cook and Ivor Jones was also joined by Mark Sanderson as team physiotherapist and he attended several practice sessions after Christmas to treat and advise players on injuries and rehabilitation. This was very useful and enabled the players to get valuable service and information that has been lacking previously. Iain and Ivor again were invaluable in their help and organisation, and the YS programme now has a coaching, management and medical team to be proud of. Practice sessions were generally attended by between 12 and 19 players, although occasionally fewer or more players arrived. Communication between players and manager was better than last year and it was pleasing to see the improvement paying off in a better regular attendance. The target was set at 90% and 50% attendance for home-based players and English-based players respectively and all players met this before Christmas, but not afterwards. The latter was mainly due to the uncertainty in the post-Christmas competition schedule. Two international matches against England Juniors were played in December at the Kelvin Hall International Arena in Glasgow. The England team was substantially the same one that went to the European Championships a month later in Norway. The Scotland U20 team was made up of YS players and two Scots from England. The matches were a huge success with the Scots recording two back-to-back 3-0 victories over England – the first time this has been done for many years. Although not all players in the squad were used for the matches, every one contributed strongly to the final victories and showcased Scottish Junior volleyball very well. The Friday game was again played in front of a large audience of school children and this was very successful. The Saturday was also played in front of a large audience including representatives from the GB programme at Sheffield. The victories were the culmination of all the hard work not only in by the players, the coaching and management staff, but also by the players’ own club coaches and everyone involved should be praised for the superb spectacle and result. The YS staff would like to thank all the players and officials, the Special Events Team led by Jen Downs, Thomas Dowens and Margaret-Ann Fleming for all the support and effort that went into staging such a successful event.
Junior Internationals
This success was to lead to the Junior SCD tournament at Easter in Luxembourg, but unfortunately this had to be cancelled due to insufficient teams entering. This was a major disappointment to players and staff, and despite extensive work to find a substitute international competition, none has yet been found. This has meant the programme has ended on rather a ‘down’ note and a serious replacement competition needs to be found quickly to avoid the players becoming disillusioned after the great success of December. The SVA office and YS Staff have all tried very hard, but it is difficult to find Junior Small Nations teams willing to travel in the current economic climate. The search will still go on! I would like to thank Iain Cook and Stewart McGrenary (assistant coaches), Ivor Jones (manager) and Mark Sanderson (physiotherapist) for all the hard work, inspiration and unfailing good humour over the last year. The programme could not have run without them. Simon Coleman Head Coach,
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STATISTICS In Summary, the affiliated and active members of our Association as at end of Season is as follows:Affiliated Clubs
66
Registered Teams
145
Qualified Coaches Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 UKCC
Male 1 387 51 28 8 12 32
Female 1 265 35 21 2 2 18
Registered Coaches
58
13
Qualified Referees International Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Beach Junior
4 16 49 89 179 5 40
0 0 15 43 182 3 36
Registered Referees
120
94
Player Registration Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 University District Seniors District Juniors Junior
Male 87 86 65 140 250 14 78
Female 85 101 0 154 148 19 93
Sub Totals
720
600
Total Player Registrations
1320
Beach (over 8 beach tours) 2V2 Junior 4-a-side
Men 288 16
Female 87 8
School Festivals
Male
Female
P6/P7 (1 Festival) S2/S3 (2 Festivals)
74 220
60 192
60 96
60 66
Affiliated Schools
62
Total 375 24 102 Male
Female
P7/S1 (2 Festivals) S4/5/6 (3 Festivals)
138 192
147 174
S2/S3
72
54
Scottish School Cup P7/S1 S4/5/6
School Participation - take on School Affiliation Information - approximate figures Curricular Activities
20456
Extra Curricular Activities
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2891
Scottish Volleyball Association 48 The Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ Telephone: 0131 556 4633, Fax: 0131 557 4314, Email: info@scottishvoklleyball.org www.scottishvolleyball.org
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