3Touch March

MARCH 2012 www.volleyballengland.org

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: DE I N SI IN OD O YG JOD

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF VOLLEYBALL ENGLAND

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GL OU C A LE ESTE SS R ON RUGBY STARS GIVE IN B EACH V OLLEYBALL

Planning For THE Future Developing the Whole Sport Plan 2013-17

Volleyball in Tanzania

International Inspiration project

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4 WELCOME On the cover: Edward Evans (Wessex VC) hitting against Nicholas Epiphaniou (Guildford International VC) Photo Courtesy: Lukasz Rajski Bimonthly - Volume 10 - No 4 ISSN 1479-0785 If you would like your news or views printed in 3Touch Volleyball, get in touch with the editor at: Volleyball England SportPark, Loughborough University, No. 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 3QF E-mail: info@volleyballengland.org Tel: 01509 227 722 Fax: 01509 227 733 English Volleyball Association Ltd. is registered in England number 2023635.

Published February 2012 by

Newark Street, Accrington, Lancs BB5 0BP Email: info@mercer-print.co.uk Designed by Paul Jones Editorial Board: Lisa Wainwright - Chief Executive Rob Harding - Head of Marketing and Communications Jessica Taylor - Marketing Officer Mark Pritchard - New Media Officer Andy Hopper - Member Subscriptions/Merchandise: £3 per issue, £15 annually Volleyball England: 01509 227 722 © Volleyball England 2012 For all queries regarding subscriptions, non-receipt and address changes, email Volleyball England at info@ volleyballengland.org or write to Volleyball England at the address shown above.

Please include your affiliation number in all correspondence.

Although this is an official publication of Volleyball England, the views expressed in this magazine may not be those of the Association. Products appearing in 3Touch Volleyball magazine are not necessarily endorsed by Volleyball England.

All contributions welcomed. These should be emailed to the editor at info@volleyballengland.org, where possible, or sent to Volleyball England for the attention of the editor, 3Touch Volleyball magazine. All photographs should be captioned to identify their contents and the photographer noted to acknowledge the source.

Volleyball England Equality Statement: Volleyball England supports the principle of equal opportunities for all participants, members, representatives and employees whilst working for, or on behalf of the EVA. It opposes all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination on the grounds of age, colour, race, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, marital status, sexuality, HIV status, or unrelated criminal convictions, or disability.

Welcome message from President Richard Callicott

5 VOLLEYNEWS

News and Views from the world of volleyball

10 DEVELOPMENT

An insight into the development of the Whole Sport Plan 2013-17 as we approach the next funding cycle

13 VOLUNTEERS

An update on the work of Volley Squads plus a round-up from the Volunteer Leadership Programme

19 COMPETITIONS

NVL Action Replay: Match reports, results and pictures from the featured games

features 9 WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES, PART II

Report and photos from the indoor volleyball action at the World Police & Fire Games 2011, held in New York

14 New Kids on the Block

A look at how NVL newcomers have been enjoying life in the National Volleyball League

16 GLOUCESTER RUGBY STARS ‘TRY’ BEACH VOLLEYBALL GB Olympic Beach hopefuls Jody Gooding and Denise Johns give Gloucester Rugby stars a lesson in beach volleyball and discuss qualifying for London 2012

22 TECHNOLOGY IN VOLLEYBALL: STATISTICAL ANAYLSIS A look at how match statistics can be captured to help improve performance

24 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COACHES IN TANAZANIA!

A diary and pictures from the International Inspiration Project in Tanzania www.volleyballengland.org

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e m o c l e w

Richard Callicott - President

The first couple of months of this year have flown by and already much has happened. The countdown to the greatest show on earth moves ever closer and the excitement continues to build month by month.

It is incredible to think that the London 2012 Games are under 200 days away.

The interest in volleyball is definitely growing and I was delighted to hear that politicians at Westminster love our sport so much they had bought more tickets to watch beach volleyball than athletics.

With the games in mind I would like to wish the GB Sitting Volleyball team the very best in the Intercontinental Cup in Egypt.

While the GB men have qualified for London, the women’s host nation spot

has been deferred by the BPA and we expect to receive a final decision towards the end of March 2012. I very much hope the news will be positive and the team get to prove themselves on the Paralympics stage in London 2012.

At the same time as looking forward to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are also starting the consultation process for the next four year Strategic Plan. We are extremely fortunate in sport that Sport England put National governing bodies at the core of their strategy in helping developing a sporting habit for life. Sport England wants to ensure sports have transformed community sport in England by 2017 and we expect volleyball to play a big part in that. The criteria and

Great Britain Sitting Volleyball Women in action against Canada at Harpers International Tournament last year

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timelines have been set and we will be working across the sport to listen and hear views and feedback.

Sport England will be assessing plans with tough performance criteria on what we say we are going to achieve as a sport and greater financial penalties for failure but we are confident in delivering a plan that reflects their strategy especially in youth participation but more importantly in reflecting the needs of volleyball and you our membership.

do for our sport. But passion is not enough we need to demonstrate and concentrate on actual delivery with good governance and achievement against the outputs we include in the plan. Let’s show what we can do!

As an Association as a whole, we continue to work hard to demonstrate how great the sport is and how much energy and passion it has in all its areas of playing, coaching refereeing and volunteering. I thank each and everyone for their time and commitment and all the great work you

Finally, I am looking forward to attending the Super8 finals and National Cup Finals at the end of April and hope to see many of you watching. If you have never been, I urge you to come and support the event and watch some fantastic volleyball at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering.

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STEVE BETTS WINS BBC NORTH EAST UNSUNG HERO AWARD 2011

Steve Betts was crowned BBC North East and Cumbria Unsung Hero, in recognition of his 40 years voluntary service dedicated to volleyball. Steve finished ahead of three other finalists to win the award in a ceremony held at Gateshead College Academy of Sport.

As a regional winner, Steve went on to represent the North East in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Finals, held on the 22nd December 2011.

Steve commented, “Every amateur sports club and organisation has people like me who willingly put in time and effort to develop their sport and I felt incredibly privileged to be the one who received the award.”

When Steve began his teaching career in 1970 at Highfield School in Gateshead he was asked by his Head of Department to teach volleyball - little did he know how long he would remain involved in the sport! By 1978, curriculum volleyball at Highfield School had developed into Felling Volleyball Club and Steve

Steve Betts

coached and managed eight volleyball teams in regional and local leagues across the North East. Later on this club changed name and venue to Gateshead and competed in the NVL. According to Phil Dodd (North East Regional Chair), “Steve has been a constant source of support and wisdom on all matters and his patient encouragement has been invaluable to all volunteers in the local area.”

This award tops off a fantastic year for Steve, who earlier in the year, received the accolade of ‘Volunteer of the Year’ at the 2011 Volleyball England Annual Awards Evening.

From this Steve received his nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Unsung Hero Award.

Volleyball England’s Head of Development, Stuart Johnson said, “It is fantastic that someone from the volleyball community has won such as prestigious award. We are extremely grateful for all the time and effort volunteers such as Steve put into the sport and it is wonderful for him to get this recognition.”

London 2012 Referee Appointments The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and World Organisation Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD) has announced the list of referees who have been appointed to officiate at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London later this year.

A total of 20 referees representing twenty different nationalities will officiate at the volleyball competition.

It will be the first time at the Olympic Games, all five continents will be represented in the 16 beach volleyball appointments.

Two of England’s top volleyball officials, Damien Searle, and Greg Thompson will be representing Great Britain in the beach volleyball. While Brian McDougall from Scotland has been selected for the Indoor competition.

Referees, Dee Wauchope and Glynn Archibald had their nominations approved by the WOVD Board of Administration for the Paralympic Games and will now go on to represent Great Britain in the Sitting Volleyball competition.

Everyone at Volleyball England would like to congratulate Brian, Damien, Greg, Dee and Glynn on their selection and wish them well in their preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Glynn Archibald

Damien Searle & Greg Thompson

Dami Bakare Awarded British Olympic Association Athlete of the Year 2011 Dami Bakare was honoured as the British Olympic Association (BOA) singled out its top performing individuals in each of the 33 summer and winter Olympic sports.

Bakare was named on the list alongside fellow Olympic athletes and medal hopefuls Mo Farah, Alistair Brownlee and tennis star Andy Murray, to top off an exceptional year for the 6ft 5’’ GB opposite player.

During 2011 Dami played 30 matches for the GB team, who won 13 games and pulled-off historic victories over China (WR:11) and Egypt (WR:14). But it was at the London Volleyball International Invitational, staged at Earls Court in July, where Dami showed his outstanding form to become the tournament’s top scorer with 78 points in five matches, ahead of Evan Patak (USA) with 76, and Wallace de Souza (BRA) with 67.

Bakare, who progressed through the GB

Men’s Development Squad in Sheffield and now holds a professional contract with Belgian Club VC Argex Duvel Puurs commented, “This award came as a massive shock and I would never have known if I hadn’t received messages congratulating me.

You could still say I’m unsure of the potential magnitude of this prize! There are names I’ve heard through media on the list and it’s more than a privilege to be on it, but I don’t see it as an award for myself – it’s for everyone that has added something to my game. So that means coaches, friends taking an interest and players I’ve played with and against because I wouldn’t have reached the level I am today on my own.”

and BOA Chief Executive, said: “The Olympic Athlete of the Year award celebrates the excellence of athletes who represent the very best of British talent in their respective Olympic sports. I Dami Bakare wish all the award winners the very best as they enter the home straight of their preparations for London 2012, or continue their journey towards Sochi 2014.”

The Olympic Athlete of the Year award was conceived in 2005 to mark the BOA’s centenary year as well as London being awarded the 2012 Games.

Follow Dami on Twitter - @donlybakare

Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission

Further information about the award, including the full list of athletes honoured can be found on the BOA’s website www.olympics.org.uk

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BOA REWARDS DEDICATED YOUNG PEOPLE WITH TICKETS TO THE LONDON 2012 GAMES

Funded by a levy on London 2012 Prestige Ticketing hospitality packages, the London 2012 Ticketshare programme allows many individuals who would not normally have access to the Olympic and Paralympic Games the chance to attend. The BOA is one of several stakeholders with access to these tickets and they contacted National Governing Bodies like Volleyball England to help ensure the tickets were distributed appropriately.

Volleyball England was allocated tickets to distribute to young people who embody the Olympic values of Friendship, Excellence and Respect. Each affiliated club then had the opportunity to nominate three members aged 18-26 years old. Some really inspirational stories were received showing how young people in clubs embody the values.

Beach Volleyball Test Event, Horse Guards Parade, August 2011

Nominees include Matt Rhymer of Academy of Beach Sports, who has rarely missed a Saturday morning session as a volunteer coach for four years; Tettenhall Tigers’ Kamni Sharmi, whose friendly and enthusiastic attitude has really encouraged

the 8-10 year olds she coaches; and Adam Bradbury, England and Newcastle (Staffs) representative, whose drive for excellence has seen him go from complete beginner to NVL Division 1 player in a year, as well as supporting his team mates by leading the squad pre-season fitness training!

Many other young people working hard to develop our sport and their own personal performance have also been rewarded with London 2012 tickets.

The nominees will find out in April which event they’ve got a ticket for and if they will be joined by an Olympian. Fingers crossed for indoor or beach volleyball tickets!

Volleyball England would like to thank the British Olympic Association for this fantastic opportunity for our young players and volunteers!

ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT WOMEN WIN 2012 NOVOTEL CUP! that we feel were achieved during the tournament. It is a great achievement to take home the 2012 Novotel Cup and we look forward to returning to Luxembourg in 2013 to defend our title.’’

The final round of matches took place on Williams’ birthday so the victory was the perfect present for the Malory Eagles coach.

England Development Women with Coach Jefferson Williams (second from right) and support staff

A fantastic start to 2012 was heralded at the Novotel Cup in Luxembourg where the England Development Women performed a clean sweep to be crowned Champions, for the fifth time in history!

In a tough three days of competition England were victorious over hot favourites Germany and the host nation.

England’s final game was a home nations showdown where England overcame old rivals Scotland in straight sets to remain unbeaten in victory.

Head Coach Jefferson Williams commented, ‘‘It has been several years since England Women entered the Novotel Cup and we had little knowledge about our opposition going into the competition. As a team we set ourselves targets and objectives

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The Men’s England Development team struggled to build on the women’s success, losing out to strong competition from Denmark, Luxembourg and Scotland. The event was ultimately won by Scotland – congratulations to Leeds Carnegie coach Simon Loftus on his team’s success.

A busy weekend of competition for England also saw the Junior Men travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the second round of the CEV European Juniors. They came close to victory against hosts Bosnia, in a five set thriller that left Twitter followers, tracking live score updates on the edge of their seats. However, the competition proved challenging for the England Juniors, who lost out to Lithuania and eventual group winners, Sweden.

Squad Nicole Parish - London Malory Meg Viggars - London Malory Hannah Carey - Ashcombe and Dorking Paige Nelmes - London Malory Megan Van Essen - Tameside VC Chloe Edwards - Sheffield Tash Brewer - London Malory Lauren Williams - London Malory Theresa Farley - Ashcombe and Dorking Magda Ropiak - Team Northumbria Gemma Beddows - Wessex Jenna Stevens-Smith - London Malory

Competition Results: Novotel Cup, Luxembourg England Women Development Squad Vs Germany 3-2 (24-26, 25-22 25-22 21-25 15-10) Vs Luxembourg 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21) Vs Scotland 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-20) England Men Development Squad Vs Luxembourg 1-3 (23-25, 26-24, 17-25, 20-25) Vs Denmark 2-3 (20-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 11-15) Vs Scotland 2-3 (17-25, 22-25, 27-25, 25-16, 13-15) CEV European Juniors, Bosnia & Herzegovina England Junior Men Vs Lithuania 0-3 (22-25, 18-25, 19-25) Vs Bosnia 2-3 (25-23, 25-14, 25-27, 26-28, 13-15) Vs Sweden 0-3 (21-25, 18-25, 20-25)

Volleyball England Launch new website!

Updates from in and around the world of Volleyball. If you have any news that you’d like to share please email info@3touchvolleyball.co.uk

Late in 2010, Dr Don Anthony MBE, Volleyball England’s Honorary President and founder of the original Volleyball Association in these islands, asked me to help him to write a book on the history of the Volleyball Association and volleyball in the UK. We had a few meetings to discuss the style and content and met with a group of people involved with different aspects of volleyball who suggested contacts and information from their own memories. I then spent several months contacting people by email, telephone or personal interviews and began collating information.

The book will have historical accuracy as far as possible but it will be very ‘people based’ as this reflects Don’s original vision for the Association and obviously it is people who are the reason for any association’s existence as they come together for a specific activity.

However, it was not long before I realised that, while volleyballers could remember events they had been involved with, dates and names sometimes eluded them so I have been deep in Volleyball England’s and others’ archives building a skeleton of the history (1955 - 2012) on which to hang people’s accounts and memories of their time in volleyball.

This has taken considerable time as anyone who has done something like this will understand but the ‘treasure hunt’ has been enjoyable and my thanks to all those who have sent articles, information or spoken to me about various aspects of the history. It has been interesting talking or corresponding with you. Many know me through my photography (www.thevolleyballlibrary.

Volleyball England Annual Awards Evening 2012 This year’s Annual Awards Evening will be held at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering, on Saturday 28th April following the National Cup Finals.

Come and join us for the volleyball community’s social event of the year!

Tickets will go on sale soon – but you’ll have to be quick, last year’s event was a sell-out!

Do you know an exceptional volunteer or referee? If so nominate them via the Volleyball England website www.volleyballengland.org for an Award.

photograph©BMTotterdell

Volleyball Association History Book By Barbara TotterdELL

Harry Brokking coaching in 1989

co.uk), writing and editing of the volleyball magazines over the years and my knowledge of the volleyball community has made the process much easier and a pleasure.

My work will also have the benefit of pulling some of the history together as currently little is recorded in an official archive apart from Ian Cooper’s National Team Archive.

Much is there but in various forms; doubtless much has remained with hard working people over the years in notebooks and lists which have now disappeared from attics and exvolleyballers can be hard to track for their memories.

Volleyball England has launched a new website improving the online service to its members and the public. The decision to launch a new website comes in the wake of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the increase in interest the sport will receive during and after the summer.

There have been improvements to all areas of the website including competitions, performance, membership, shop sections and social media threads.

Martin Lindsey, Head of Operations for Volleyball England said: “This is the start of an exciting journey for Volleyball England, in partnership with Fluid CM, to deliver ever increasing online services to our members.”

GO SPIKE ‘GAME IN A BAG’ AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE!

I am now completing the archive hunt and at the stage of deadlines for the book so if you have buried half written pieces please send them across to me at histvb@btinternet.com by mid March. Now is the time!

The Go Spike Game In A Bag is the most simplistic way to play volleyball whatever your age or ability. Whether you choose to play in the comfort of your own home, during your lunch hour at work or used as an activity for community led projects, you can’t help but have fun!

Dates for your Diary!

As a New Year introductory price the ‘Game In A Bag’ can be purchased for £7.99* (including VAT and delivery to the UK)*Only available while stocks last.

To purchase a Game In A Bag visit the Shop section of the Volleyball England website.

Volleyball England Beach Tour VEBT 26-27th May - Great Yarmouth 30th June - 1 July - Skegness 7-8th July - Margate Finals 25-26th August - Bournemouth

Go Spike is Volleyball England’s campaign to get more adults playing volleyball regularly. For more information on the campaign and to register your interest to receive the monthly Go Spike E-news visit www.gospike.net or scan this QR code.

Junior VEBT 1st July - Skegness 8th July - Margate Finals 25th August (TBC) - Bournemouth Entries Open April 2012

Beach student Cup 9th-10th June - Bournemouth Entries open May 2012

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s w e n y e l vol U11 Winter Volleyball Grand Prix, Warrington

Towards the end of 2011 Warrington witnessed its first Key Stage 2, Primary School Volleyball League.

The event, held over two legs saw Warrington Primary Schools; St Peter’s, St Monica’s, Twiss Green, St Barnabus and Grappenhall St Wilfred’s battle it out in a bid to be crowned Champions!

PORTSMOUTH VC CELEBRATE AFTER SECURING £1000 SPONSORSHIP DEAL WITH SUBWAY

Portsmouth Subway first stepped in to save Portsmouth Volleyball Club from the edge of collapse six years ago and has provided invaluable support to them ever since. Portsmouth, who became Volley 3 accredited in 2009, now operate as one of the largest clubs in the area.

game and join the club, regardless of whether they can afford to pay the fees. The funding received, will help us to maintain this philosophy.’’

The club has recently put together a promotional booklet to attract further sponsorship, targeting local companies and is currently working with Portsmouth University students to get a new website up and running.

Subway’s Casey Baldwin said, “I think that there is a great fit between Subway and Portsmouth Volleyball Club.

We both encourage healthy active lifestyles and are open to all. I am impressed with the club’s efforts to give all sorts of people access to the sport, and am proud to give them my support.”

Boys tournament winners St Barnabus

Prior to the competition young leaders from Cardinal Newman High, co-ordinated by Warrington’s Community Development Coach, Megan Hopkins ran taster coaching sessions at the competition’s venue. Following on from these sessions the boys and girls teams were elected to represent each school.

After some impressive volleyball and an electric atmosphere that ran throughout the competition, two teams, from the boys and girls categories were announced winners!

Boys Winners – St Barnabus Girls Winner – St Monica’s As a follow up to the league the children have the option to continue playing volleyball with the Junior Club, at Warrington’s Sport for All Centre on a Wednesday evening.

A big well done to all who took part!

The next tournament will be the Spring Grand Prix and will start February 6th followed by the second round on March 20th.

For further information about the league please contact Warrington’s Community Development Coach, Megan Hopkins at m.hopkins@volleyballengland.org

Girls tournament winners St Monica’s

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Portsmouth Ladies 2 squad

The new funding agreement came at the perfect time and will facilitate the continual growth of both the club and the sport in the surrounding community. Many exciting plans and ambitions are set to become a reality in 2012.

January saw the introduction of brand new sessions, which have been designed to cater for new players, juniors and ladies returning to the sport.

Portsmouth Ladies 1 squad

With the help of Subway and Branch Manager Casey Baldwin, Portsmouth VC has evolved into a very successful club with great contacts within local schools, councils and sport partnerships.

In terms of on-court achievements, Portsmouth VC has seen the progression of two very successful ladies teams, who compete at NVL level; with both teams in a strong position to challenge for their respective division titles. The club also boasts a talented sitting volleyball squad, who have recently gained promotion to the top tier of the National Grand Prix series.

Head coach Jayne Sharpe commented, “This sponsorship is a fantastic step forward for the club and its members. The club prides itself on operating in a way that ensures there are equal opportunities to play the

The club has recently launched Tuesday evening sessions at Priory school, anyone interested in either playing or coaching is welcome to contact the club via the website www.portsmouthvolleyballclub. co.uk

World Police & Fire Games - New York 2011 PART II indoor volleyball

The World Police and Fire Games 2011, held every two years, is one of the world’s largest multi-sport, ‘Olympic’ style events where over 15,000 active and retired police and fire service personnel from over 70 different countries compete. By Jayne Sharpe

World Police and Fire Games GB squad

In the last edition of 3Touch we reported on the trials, triumphs and even a proposal, when the Beach Volleyball pair Amanda Slater and Alan Bryan (UK Prison Service) took on the rest of the world on the sand court.

In part II of the coverage we look at how the indoor team got on.

New York City played host to the competition that coincided with the ten-year remembrance of 9/11. The impressive Jacobs Javitts centre, which housed ten courts in just half of the hall, was the perfect setting for the indoor volleyball competition.

Prior to jetting out to New York the selection for the ladies squad took place at the annual Crown Services Tournamant. The team selected comprised of Police and Prison service personnel from across the country, with six players also representing their respective volleyball clubs; South Hants, Portsmouth, Ashcombe, Telford and Loughborough Dolphins. And with kit supplied by Kitlocker and paid for by the Police Sport UK

Volleyball section, the team flew out feeling prepared and quietly confident.

However nothing had quite prepared the team for hurricane Irene, which was anticipated to hit New York on the day of the competition. Unfortunately this led to the Mayor of NY to shut down the city for two days giving the organisers no option but to postpone the Games.

After the impromptu change to the schedule the team were at a loose end for the weekend, but just before the hurricane hit, they walked up to Times Square and making the most of the empty streets, the team managed to grab a game of baseball with some NY fireman, which was a once in a lifetime experience.

Finally, the Games began on Monday with a revamped format seeing just two pools of four teams with the winners of the two pools - going straight to the final.

The GB Police and Prison team were drawn in a pool

against Austria, Canada and an impressive Finland side. The GB team found it difficult to find their rhythm and unfortunately didn’t manage to get through to the final; which was eventually won by tournament favourites Finland.

This was a very disappointing end to the volleyball for the team, but it wasn’t long before a few pints in an Irish bar soon put things right. Some sports were cancelled altogether, so in the end the team was grateful that they got to play in such an amazing arena and sporting event.

The rest of the trip gave the squad time to see the sights and pay their respects to those who lost their lives at Ground Zero.

There was even time for a spot of shopping and to watch a New York Yankee’s baseball match, which after five hours, they decided was enough.

Head Coach: Donald Deans.

Squad: Jayne Sharpe and Sue Fowler (Sussex Police and Portsmouth VC) Jo Jones and Sophie Mcgarel (Sussex Police), Amanda Pollard (Essex Police) Helen Mosley (Hampshire Police and South Hants VC) Tracey Hayes (Merseyside Police) Celia Gregory (Prison service and Loughborough Dolphins) Wendy Stubbs (Prison service and Telford VC) and Amanda Slater (Prison Service and Ashcombe VC)

The next World Police & Fire Games will be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland

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Planning for

Sport England has announced their ambitions for the ne each National Governing Body of sport will transform co as part of the process, has started its

What is the Whole Sport Plan?

Every four years National Governing Bodies have the opportunity to put forward new ideas and strategies in the form of a Whole Sport Plan. In order to secure the best funding possible, the plan must demonstrate effective delivery against Sport England’s outcomes. The Whole Sport Plan submission, for the 2013-17 funding cycle is just four months away.

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How well are we doing in the current Plan?

In 2009, Volleyball England was granted £5.6 million by Sport England to assist in the development of the sport in all its forms until 2013. Three years into the four year plan and we are now in a position to be reviewing our current direction; the successes, mistakes we have learnt from and how we plan to continue to grow volleyball from 2013 to 2017 to bring new people into the sport and give great experiences to those already playing.

Volleyball England has been able to facilitate many of these achievements by working with dedicated volunteers across the country. However the majority of the budget to do this work has been provided by grant aid, particularly through the Sport England Whole Sport Plan that is central to the Government’s Strategy for sport.

Highlights over the last 4 years: Development • We have increased the number of young people playing volleyball from 3,000 to over 8,000.

• Through the My Games Project (funded by V-Inspired and motivated by the London 2012 Olympics), we have supported and trained over 200 young volunteers from within and outside the volleyball community to contribute to the development of volleyball within their area.

• The Go Spike Campaign launched in 2011, has already engaged over 10,000 new adults participants to volleyball with over 2,000 playing regularly.

• We have invested in 51 Higher Education Volleyball Officers (HEVOs) who in just one semester of delivery have already given 1,500 students the opportunity to regularly participate in recreational volleyball and enjoy the best sport in the world!

National Competitions • We have developed a new format to the National League and created the Super 8’s, that allows the top teams in the country to showcase their abilities • We showcase the top beach athletes in iconic locations in the Volleyball England Beach Tour. In 2011, the Finals were televised by Sky Sports reaching over 50,000 viewers.

• We continue to offer and look at ways to provide an excellent range of junior competitions with U15, U16, U18 and Student National Competitions.

Talent • We have a fantastic National Volleyball Centre in Kettering home to National squads and competitions like the Cup Final • In 200, The National Volleyball Academy based at Loughborough College was set up and currently has 18 athletes training full time whilst completing their studies.

or the Future

ext Whole Sport Plan, setting out how they, together with ommunity sport in England by 2017. Volleyball England, s planning for the sport from 2013-17.

• We have trained 506 National Technical Officials (NTO’s) of which 102 of which participated in last years Volleyball Test Events in Earls Court and Horse Guards Parade. Since then an incredible 84 NTO’s have been selected to go forward for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

How will the next funding cycle be different?

Volleyball England is in a fortunate position where by National Governing Bodies of sport are seen as the primary delivery agent to helping achieve this goal and are therefore invited to again apply for funding to plan and facilitate initiatives that will have a marked impact on creating a ‘sporting habit for life’.

The change in Government has meant a change in the strategic direction for sports development in England.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) new strategy; Creating a Sporting Habit for Life – A

new Youth Sport Strategy clearly emphasises a desire to increase opportunities for young people aged between 14 – 25 to play and have a positive experience playing sport, something which is then hoped they will continue into later life.

What is Creating a Sporting Habit for Life – A new Youth Sport Strategy?

In January 2012, Sport England and British Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, released details of a new 5-year youth and community sport strategy to inspire a generation to get involved in sport.

Between 2012 -2017 over £1 billion will be invested to create a community-sporting legacy by growing sports participation at grass roots level. In a bid to transform sport in England the strategy aim for sport to become a lifelong habit for more people and a regular choice for the majority in particular those aged 14-25 years old.

National Governing Bodies will pay a pivotal role in the strategy while partners like StreetGames, The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and the Youth Sport Trust and others will support the work.

For more information visit www.

Will sports only focus on young people?

While there is focus on growth in young people aged 14-23, plans must also deliver in one or more areas including - A growth in participation across the adult population - An excellent sporting experience for existing participant to keep them playing sport - High quality talent development which creates strong England pathways - A growth in participation by people with disabilities, include those with talent

How much money is their available for Sport in the new cycle?

Sport England have confirmed a funding pot of up to £467 million is available to National Governing Bodies who meet the eligibility criteria to bid into with Whole Sport Plans that demonstrate how they will grow the sport in terms of general participation particularly in the 14-25 age group and also how they will ensure talent pathways are

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www.volleyballengland.org through the Membership Survey to ensure the current membership shares in how we want the sport to develop and grow.

The consultation process will end towards the end of April 2012, we will then submit a detailed plan on how the sport will clearly respond to the criteria set out by Sport England, and best fits the needs of our sport

in place to enable the most talented athletes to reach the highest level of performance possible.

Sport England will use track record in delivery as a big consideration in making futures decisions and they will be looking for great ambition in plans to get more disabled people taking part in sport including those with talent.

Any programmes that are submitted as part of the plan will be assessed by Sport England on the following criteria: Key Criteria

Weighting

Track Record 2009-13

20%

Strength of Plan

40%

Scale of Impact

20%

Value for Money

20%

There will able a tougher performance management regime, with greater penalties for failure and larger incentives for excellence.

What planning is happening at the moment?

The Volleyball England Board and Senior Management Team are currently working on the strategic direction for the next four years based on the information and insight we currently have and aligning where possible to Government strategy in order to access maximum funding to continue to grow volleyball. As we move through March and April it is going to be essential to consult on the ideas that have been developed and build on the data we already have

Can we get involved and provide ideas?

Absolutely! We want to hear from YOU with any ideas and thoughts on creating a volleyball habit for life.

Contact us directly at planning@volleyballengland.org and tell us your vision for our sport.

We will also be planning events and providing further opportunities to provide feedback online so please keep an eye on our new website, facebook page and twitter for more details.

feedback to ensure that each sport can prepare a presentation to a panel during October and November 202.

In December 2012, Sport England will make decision and begin to notify sport of their decision. Final awards will be made in January 2012

I would like to help more, who should I speak to?

For any further information or to offer assistance in the process please contact Stuart Johnson, Head of Development on s.johnson@ volleyballengland.org

When do we know what the new investment will be?

Once submitted, Sport England will carry out an assement and provide

School Games gets Boost…

Sainsbury’s has agreed a £10 million package to support the new School Games Competition over the next four years, which has given the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic sporting legacy a huge boost. A further £14 million from the Department of Health plus a further £8 million from Sport England will extend funding for School Games organisers from two years to four years, up to 2015.

This is exciting news for volleyball in England and will help to ensure that volleyball is offered across levels one, two and three of the School Games in as many areas as possible.

It is particularly encouraging for the level four School Games which is utilised as the top level of competition for U16 girls and

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U17 boys in England. This year the volleyball competition will be hosted at ExCel London, a 2012 Paralympic venue.

Stuart Johnson, Volleyball England Head of Development said, “For many, this will be the height of their playing career and one of the only opportunities to play in such a public arena. For others, this event is a selection event for Volleyball England’s national squads and an opportunity to experience what it

takes to play in front of a crowd and what is expected of players when following international protocol. This announcement represents a fantastic opportunity for volleyball in England, and suggests a great future for our sport.”

This new funding together with sponsorship from Adidas means that the 1,600 young athletes will be provided with sports kit. Sainsbury’s recently announced David Beckham as the new ambassador for its Active

Kids programme and future activity to encourage sport in schools.

Jeremy Hunt said, “We are absolutely determined to leave a real and lasting legacy for young people from London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Sainsbury’s School Games will help do just that. The fantastic funding package – from Sainsbury’s, Adidas and the Department of Health - shows the commitment to completely transform competitive sport in schools. I want to thank Sainsbury’s and Adidas for their generosity in helping to secure the future of the School Games beyond 2012.”

Sport England is investing up to £35.5 million of National Lottery funding in the School Games.

VOLLEY SQUADS Stowmarket VC was part of the first phase of the Volley Squad programme. We will find out a bit more about them and advise how you can get involved in the Volley Squad programme.

PHASE 1 The first phase of the Volley Squad Programme began in January 2011. Groups of young people aged 16 to 25 were recruited from within and outside the volleyball community to support clubs and events. Thanks to significant funding from V-Inspired we were able to offer the Volley Squad members support to undertake a coaching course, refereeing qualification or club support training. The following volleyball clubs chose to host a Volley Squad: the Academy of Beach Sports, Arrows, Cheshire West and Chester, Ealing Energy, East London Lynx Sitting, Haughton, Loughborough Lions, Sheffield, South Birmingham, Stowmarket, Team Southampton, Wessex, Wimbledon and Wirral.

Volley Squads also supported a Volley Squads recruiting new players

number of prestigious Volleyball England events including the ECVD Continental Cup. Over 150 young people are currently part of a Volley Squad and bring a great deal of enthusiasm and dedication to volleyball across the country.

require a lot of effort, however the payback to a club from developing young volunteers is enormous.”

In particular the Suffolk Volleyball Association have really benefited “from the energy and enthusiasm of a young and vibrant committee!”

CASE STUDY: STOWMARKET VOLLEYBALL CLUB

PHASE 2

Stowmarket VC is a small but successful men’s club that enters teams in the National Cup, National Shield, Eastern Region Series, Suffolk Cup, Essex Division 1 and a number of other tournaments.

They work closely with Stowmarket Stingers who cater for ladies and also men playing at a recreational level. Like most clubs, Stowmarket is run entirely by a group of extremely dedicated volunteers.

Through the Volley Squad programme Craig Alderton, Chris Giles and Nick Stevens trained as coaches and Jo Day and Ryan Luke qualified as referees. All of whom have subsequently volunteered at the club fulfilling vital roles and contributing many hours of their time. Chris Giles has since become

“Developing young volunteers can require a lot of effort, however the payback to a club from developing young volunteers in enormous.”

Stowmarket’s Jo Day

a valuable member of the Suffolk Volleyball Association’s committee as Indoor Tournament Series Director.

Andrew Whitefield, Volley Squad Co-ordinator for Stowmarket, has played an important role in engaging the young people of Stowmarket VC through the Volley Squad programme. He feels that, “Developing young volunteers can

The second phase of the Volley Squad programme will be regionally based with young people being attached to a region but also having the opportunity to volunteer within a club. If you are interested in being supported in volunteering within a region or at a club or if you are a club or run an event and feel you would benefit from a Volley Squad, please contact Ilona Berry (National Leadership and Volunteer Development Officer) on i.berry@ volleyballengland.org or 01509 227713.

Volley Squads in action

Volunteer Leadership Programme Seven volunteers and staff have recently completed an innovative three-day Volunteer Leadership Programme. The successful graduates were Adedeji Adeaga, Ilona Berry, Isabelle Collot, Rob Parkinson, Dan Sanders, Mark Savage and Vanessa Skillen.

The course was designed to develop and support volunteers to be future leaders within our sport right up to Board level.

The Volunteer Leadership Programme was run

by Prospects 4 Sport Consultancy in conjunction with Volleyball England.

Topics covered included a background to Volleyball England, understanding

vision and strategy, setting goals and targets, selfawareness, leadership styles, communication dynamics, mentoring, leading and managing change and good governance.

Participants from the course were inspired and are ready to take on new roles and challenges within Volleyball England, Rob Parkinson commented: “I feel the course has equipped me with useful skills and empowered me to take on leadership responsibilities within volleyball.” For example, Adedeji Adeaga is going to move forward in setting up a junior club in his area and Dan Sanders is keen to join the Competitions Commission.

Volunteer Leadership programme graduates

For details of other volunteering programmes or information on how to become more involved in Volleyball England please contact Ilona Berry (National Leadership and Volunteer Development Officer) on i.berry@volleyballengland.org or 01509 227713.

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ON THE

NEW KIDS BLOCK

3Touch caught up with three new NVL teams to find out why they made the leap up from the Regional League and what life is like in the NVL The 2011/12 NVL season has seen a good number of new entrants into the National Volleyball League and some of these teams have already experienced success. Three new teams look set for automatic promotion as league winners, with a further two in contention for the play offs.

BLACK COUNTRY REDHILL TIGERS (W3C) Following in the footsteps of Newcastle (Staffs) in previous seasons, new side Black Country Redhill Tigers are the only team in the whole NVL this season to field an entirely junior side. The team is made up of promising Black Country juniors from clubs across the district; predominantly last year’s U18 finalists Redhill Stourbridge and Wolverhampton based Tettenhall Tigers.

Head Coach Bertrand Olie explains, “We entered the National League as we wanted to offer the girls a higher level of competition. Newcastle (Staffs), Wessex and Ashcombe all offer NVL volleyball to their players

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and we needed to do the same in order to compete with these teams at National Junior Finals.

So far we haven’t won as many matches as hoped but the experience is invaluable for the team and I’m sure it will pay off come February for the Last 8s and hopefully at April’s final.”

The team’s aims, like its feeder clubs, are entirely centred on junior development and maximum court-time for all the squad. This has so far produced mixed results. For 2012 Bertrand is now looking to drive some wins and warns that his players will now have to get used to fighting a little bit harder for their spot on court!

Black Country Redhill Tigers womens squad

Email: bertrandolie@gmail.com • Telephone 07850 938276

photo courtesy: Brendon Hollands

www.volleyballengland.org

SURREY ORCAS (W3S) The 2010/2011 season was a fantastic year for non-NVL side Spelthorne; not only did they win the South East Regional League and then see off all the other league winners at the Regional Champions trophy, but with a few extra players

and as ‘Surrey Orcas’ they also reached the National Shield Finals in April 2011. Having topped the regional performers last year, it’s good to see the squad moving up the pathway and entering the ranks of the National League.

For Surrey Orcas the main motivation of making the step up was to meet stronger opposition on a more regular basis and the opportunity to improve squad performance and gain promotion to the higher divisions. Although only a few team members had played National League before, the 15 strong squad count several experienced players amongst them and an excellent mix of eleven different nationalities!

Orcas’ manager Brendon Hollands explains how the side are finding NVL, and how they are nearly on track for their targets this season, “The standard of the Surrey league has been fairly high in recent seasons and we haven’t found much tougher opposition yet in the NVL, but

our aim was to gain promotion and seek the increased challenge Division 2 would bring. So far, it’s looking promising as we have a 100% win record. We also wanted to go one better this season and win the National Shield, however we unexpectedly progressed into the main cup draw by beating Super 8 side Ashcombe!”

Website: www.spelthornevolleyball.co.uk Email: info@spelthornevolleyball.co.uk Telephone: +44 7952 901851

Surrey Orcas womens Squad

SOUTH BIRMINGHAM VC (M3N and W3W) Midlands outfit South Birmingham have long been a strong force in their Regional League and after another unbeaten season for both their Men’s and Women’s sides, decided to make the step up to NVL. Head Coach Grzegorz Bukowski explains, “South Birmingham were reluctant initially to move up to the NVL. Lots of our players work shifts or have young families and we were concerned about the travelling and additional costs. However, it was really important to offer the players a higher level of competition. We’ve kept teams in the Regional League for members who want to stay locally but now have other opportunities for those who want a challenge. We get around the other commitments of our players by having big squads,

I currently have 14 registered male players and 13 on the women’s squad.”

Piotr Dymek sets the ball for South Birmingham

Despite the obstacles, Grzegorz believes both his squads can compete with teams higher up the NVL structure. He added, “About 90% of our squads are originally from Poland and most have played competitive volleyball at a high level before coming to the UK. In the cup, we’ve performed well against Super8 sides and I know we could hold our own in Division 1 at least.” Both teams certainly look hot favourites for promotion, SBVC Women are unbeaten in seven games and SBVC Men top Division 3N.

Website: www.sbvc.prv.pl • Email b.v.c@vp.pl Telephone 07851387308

In the next edition of 3Touch we’ll take a look at some of our longer serving NVL clubs and ask them what it takes to stay at the top!

Entries for new teams into the National Volleyball league for the 2012/13 season will open soon. For more information or to register your teams interest please contact Jon Moore, Competitions Officer, at j.moore@volleyballengland.org.

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www.volleyballengland.org

Gloucester

Rugby Stars (Left to right) Denise Johns, Jody Gooding, Luke Narraway, Freddie Burns and Jonny May

Towards the end of last year 3Touch made an unexpected visit to Hartpury College, the training centre of Gloucester’s Premiership Rugby stars when they agreed to swap the training field for the volleyball court.

Lifelong Gloucester fan Jody Gooding, revisited his former haunt, Hartpury College to introduce the Cherry and Whites to volleyball. Gloucester Rugby’s official supplements supplier Nutrition X, who also support Olympic beach hopefuls Jody and his wife Denise, brought the two sports together in a fun media session, captured by ESPN and aired during Gloucester’s Boxing

Day clash with London Wasps. Following a short training session with Gloucester Rugby stars Freddie Burns, Jonny May and Captain Luke Narraway on the basic rules and techniques of the game, the session broke out into an impromptu match that saw the rugby trio take on Gooding and Johns in a friendly game – it was Gloucester Rugby Vs GB Beach Volleyball.

Gloucester Rugby Vs GB Beach Volleyball After some light-hearted play, numerous tussles at the net and mixed results, we caught up with the players to see what they thought of Beach Volleyball…

So how did they get on, how would you rate their

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performances?

JG “You could see Freddie being the playmaker as he has great hand-eye co-ordination and Jonny, if he were taught how to jump for volleyball, would be handy. Luke had very good skills and hand-eye work too.

“They soon started showing their Rugby aggression, trying to make contact at the net.

Obviously we don’t get that a lot in volleyball; there is a bit of contact but not as much as they wanted.”

DJ “They were good, and I think

they enjoyed it. They were all jumping off one leg but that’s what most people do who don’t play the sport. They soon realised that jumping off two is a lot easier.”

Jody has said some positive things there, are any of you

Beach

Volleyball! mulling over a change of discipline to volleyball?

LN “We had fun trying something different and to see whether any skills crossed over.

But I think these guys are a lot more athletic in the air than us. Teamwork and hand-eye coordination elements cross over but I don’t think any of us will be troubling the GB selectors.”

FB “We pushed them all the way there or maybe not! I could hardly even jump higher than the net so there’s no chance for me in this sport, but we definitely had good fun.”

JM “Yeah it was very enjoyable, to be honest we were well on our way to winning the game, but they quickly began to introduce regulations and claimed we did some illegal moves or something (he laughs).”

They brought their own tactics to the friendly game. Were there any tactics that you could take back to the sport Jody?

JG “Yeah (he laughs) they used some great words, ‘tee me up’ I’m definitely going to be using that when I get back to training, I’m going to ask Greg to ‘tee me up!”

Mixing it up – a new take on the line out

To finish off the session the players’ swapped roles as Jody and Denise were introduced to a totally different ball game and shown the basics of rugby.

It was certainly interesting to see 6ft 8’’ Jody competing at the Gloucester line out.

Jody, so you’re a big Gloucester fan?

JG “Yes, I’ve supported Gloucester ever since I was 10-years old, I love the game. I try and get to as many games as I can whenever I’m back in the country. I’m a Gloucester fan through and through.”

So guys – now you’ve experienced the sport, will you be watching Beach Volleyball at the Olympics?

Jody and Denise all the best going forwards to the Olympics.”

FB “Yes, I’ll definitely be checking their progress, it’s great to catch up and we wish

LN “It’s great to see a Gloucester fan and St Peter’s boy doing so well and we can’t wait to see him

fight for that Olympic spot.”

JM “Of course, hopefully Jody will make pole position and we will definitely be supporting him at the Olympics.”

The road to London 2012 Whilst the Gloucester squad finished off their training preparations ahead of their next game we caught up with Jody and Denise to discuss qualifying for London 2012 with their respective playing partners, Gregg Weaver and Lucy Bolton, and to find out what it takes to make it to the top.

What have you got to do to qualify for London 2012?

Freddie Burns attempts a dig

JG “To take the host nation spot we have got to be the number one ranked British team, at the moment we are in joint pole position with Steve Grotowski

and John Garcia-Thompson.

The selectors take your 12 best results, over a two year qualification period on the World Tour. The team with the most points gets to go to the Olympics.”

DJ “Yeah, it’s pretty much the same for the women’s teams, you have to make the top 16 in the world, qualifying in Continental Cup competitions – or take the host nation route.

We both won’t know if we’ve made it until a month before the Olympics.”

Jody there’s strong

competition for the host nation spot, you and Gregg are currently level in the rankings - how do you feel in the run up to the final qualifying campaign?

“Well we feel confident, we had a reasonably good year, not as consistent as Gregg and I wanted. We swapped coaches and had a bit of a disjointed season.

“Our main aim this off season is to work on our consistency with our new coach. Gregg and I are really excited to work with Scott Davenport, he’s worked

17

www.volleyballengland.org with some of the top teams in the world – we’re just trying to get ourselves in better physical shape.”

How has training been going?

JG “The next four months are going to be six days a week, full on training. We want to get ourselves in the best position for the first tournament in Rio, mid April. So it’s heads down now and fully focused to get ourselves in the best position.”

You’ve played the other British teams a lot over the past two years, how does this affect your performance in those games?

JG “Yes, our last game against Grotowski and GarciaThompson, was the fifth time we’ve faced a British pair in the last two years. I couldn’t believe it when our names were drawn against our rivals for the British spot. It was the first round of the first tournament – we managed to beat them, it was a big game.

“The quality never seems as good in those games because it tends to add more pressure.

I’m looking forward to the day where we go head on and we play the best volleyball but it never seems to be like that. It’s a shame for British volleyball but it’s just the way it is.”

“Since then I have travelled to Australia and California to learn about the game. I’ve spent the last five years in LA training ahead of London 2012.”

What inspired you to become an Olympic athlete and what would it mean to qualify?

JG “I’ve dreamt of competing in the Olympics since ’84. I was 3-years old and Daly Thompson was on the TV. I remember talking to my Mum about the Olympics and it just seemed like the best place in the world.

“It would fulfil a huge dream of mine. I also want to help the profile of beach volleyball.

London could be a great stepping stone for the sport.

I hope that we can get people playing from a younger age.”

How long have you been competing on the world tour?

JG “This is our fifth year. They say it takes four to six years of playing on the tour to become a major team. Gregg and I are hoping we can grab a few good results at the beginning of the season and be in the main draw which would take some weight off our shoulders because it’s guaranteed prize money.

“Last year we played 80% of the tournaments but this time around we’re playing them all to give ourselves the biggest opportunity get ourselves in that host nation spot on the 17th June.”

How tough has it been with the lack of funding?

JG “I’ve had small sponsorships.

Nutrition X is supporting my road to the Olympics. Helping me with my nutritional needs and offering access to their doctors behind the products to help me. Sports Nutrition is a key part of making a good athlete.

Freddie Burns attempts a spike

How did you become a beach volleyball player?

JG “When I was younger I played a lot of football and realised I wasn’t going to make it as a pro.

That’s when I started playing indoor volleyball, and went up through the age groups. I also had this burning desire to be an Olympian so I switched to beach volleyball and haven’t looked back.

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“We’re looking at commercial sponsors and people that want to get involved in volleyball leading up to the Olympics – we feel that we can offer a lot of opportunities for them.

Volleyball and beach volleyball are very unique and obviously being played at a historic venue will get attention. It has the potential to be a really marketable sport.”

The World Tour requires you to be on the road a lot, how do you find it?

DJ “I split my time between New Zealand and Tenerife and Jody spends a lot of time out in L.A - a lot of the best teams in the world train in these places so it’s good to mix with them and keep an eye on what the rest of the world is doing.”

JG “Then for competitions we’re off travelling the world. For around 9/10 months of the year I’m dragging my big wheelalong suitcase, on my way to an airport or hotel.”

How does it work with all the travelling? Do you have to spend a lot of time apart?

DJ “I’d say 70% of the tournaments are men’s and women’s together, the rest are separated so we’ll see each other most of the time. We’re now training in different places at the moment but I’ll hopefully be moving over to LA in March so that will be good.”

How do you keep in touch, is it easier with modern technologies?

DJ “Yes we make use of modern technologies, the iphone’s Face Time and Skype but without computers, I think we would be pretty lost.”

JG “I couldn’t imagine playing a World Tour 30-years ago. I don’t even know how that would start, how would you book flights and hotels? Would you send telegrams? Modern technology certainly helps with the travelling to be honest.”

It seems to be one of a few sports where the women athletes receive more media attention than the men, what’s your take on this?

JG “To be honest this seems to be a big issue here in the UK compared to other countries.

The media over here tend to focus on the glamour side of the sport. Denise is a big believer in trying to promote the game on its physical attributes rather than what the girls wear.”

DJ “Hopefully when they experience the competition at London, people will start to take it for the sport more, rather than what the athletes are wearing.”

What aspirations do you have for the sport in this country following the Games?

JG “The Test Event at the Horse Guards Parade showed how well the British took to the sport. I

Jody tries his hand at a rugby spin pass

mean it was great seeing it and it’s just a shame that we haven’t had more tournaments in this country on an international scale to help raise the profile.”

“The sport is growing at a grass roots level, with the development of permanent courts around London through the go spike campaign. I have a lot of faith in them to continue the legacy.”

DJ “Hopefully the sport in the UK will go on to bigger and better things post Olympics. There are some beautiful beaches here in Britain; it’s all about getting the nets set up and educating more people about beach volleyball.”

“It was brilliant experience playing at the Horse Guards Parade last August, in front of the home crowd. The Olympics will provide an amazing setting and opportunity to showcase the sport here.”

Final question and probably the toughest of the lot – you both desperately want to compete at London, what about if one of you makes it and the other one doesn’t?

JG “I’d just be watching on a tropical island somewhere (he jokes), no I would support and hopefully vice versa!

“It would be great for us both to get there but if neither of us makes it, as long as we gave it our all and it’s fairly decided, I won’t have a problem.”

Follow Jody and Denise’s progress on Twitter or visit their websites @GBRBeachVolley1 www.gbbeachboys.com @boultonjohns www.denisejohns.com For more information about British Volleyball visit www.britishvolleyball.org

Pictures: Mark Pritchard

National Volleyball League 3Touch magazine rewinds the action from the NVL and catches up with some of the movers and shakers in the Super 8s and National Division 2 South!

21st January 2012 – Super 8s Men, top of the table clash!

Leeds Carnegie V Malory Eagles 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20) Comments from Malory Head Coach, Jefferson Williams…

“In patches, this was a good game of volleyball but Leeds were the better team. We started the match well but were not able to sustain our level of play and made bad errors at key moments in the game. Leeds continually interrogated our serve receive unit, which had a bad

Malory Eagles’ setter Ashley Trodden in action

day, which meant we were not able to consistently run our offence. On the other side of the net their passing was solid and they were able to consistently run the middle especially Chris Gregory who we were unable to cope with. A couple of our key players struggled in different stages during the match and we suffered for this.”

The campaign so far…

“We are about where we expected to be so far and we are well positioned to make a push for the playoffs where we are hopeful of getting a home match in the quarter finals. We will need to improve in the run-in if we are to have any hope of challenging Leeds and Team Northumbria for the league title. At the moment I see these two teams as the favourites although London Lynx could surprise many.

Leeds Carnegie middle hitter Chris Gregory up against Malory Eagles Luciano Pinte r

They are a very good team when they have all their players available but all too often this is not the case.”

Key moments in the season…

“For us the key moments have been our early season victories against Polonia and Sheffield. We have not really built on these but we hope that we are improving sufficiently, as individuals

and as a team to be more consistent at being able to play the important points well.”

Aspirations for the team…

“I would like to see us achieve more consistency as a team. We have strong individual players but all too often we fail to achieve as a team. We are working to put this right.”

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www.volleyballengland.org

National Volleyball Pictures: Lukasz Rajski

Sunday 11th December 2011 – Men’s Division 2 South, Guildford’s undefeated run comes to an end against a determined Wessex side!

Guildford International V Wessex 0-3 (24-26, 23-25, 22-25) The campaign so far…

“Obviously we are very happy with progress so far, topping the table.

Back in November the club celebrated their 400th National League victory which was a significant landmark for us. We have developed that happy knack of winning the key rallies at the business end of the set.

There is a larger squad than in recent seasons so there is genuine competition for court time which continually pushes the players in training as well as matches. We

st Wessex Edward Evans hitting again Guildford blocker Nicholas Epiphaniou

Comments from Guildford’s Club Chairmen, John Biddiscombe…

“We had a couple of players missing, away on business trips, which might have made it a closer contest but it would be unfair on Wessex to use that as an excuse for the

defeat. Our service reception was not at the level it needed to be and Wessex played a tactically astute game to exploit it, also we weren’t able to get to grips with their back row attacks. We look forward to the rematch at the end of the season.”

Nico Di Leo serves for Guildford

Mike Richardson leads the Guildford team talk

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are bringing through some younger players from Surrey University with whom we are developing closer links by providing coaching at student sessions.

We are delighted to be back playing our home matches in Guildford at the excellent new Surrey Sports Park.”

(foreground going backwards) Ross Pickens, Nico Di Leo, Chris Wu, Josselin Le Bon, Ralf Kerchen

Key moments in the season…

“Difficult to say as very often the defining moments of a season only become apparent at some point in the future, but for me the way that the team bounced back from a disappointing performance in the defeat against Birmingham in the Cup was one point where the season could have unfolded differently.”

Aspirations for the team…

“Earn promotion back to Division 1 in the club’s 25th anniversary year!”

Guildford in action as Mike Richardson sets for Nico DiLeo

olleyball League Pictures: Mark Pritchard

21st January 2012 – Super 8s Women, Carnegie edge out Malory in a closely fought game.

Leeds Carnegie V Malory Eagles 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23) certainly been a highlight.

It turned out to be a fiveset thriller full of drama and suspense - we felt on top of the world when the final whistle was blown.

Now we need to take that momentum forward and ensure consistency during every game!”

Malory Eagles Lauren Williams sets

the ball for Natasha Brewer

Comments from Malory’s Club Secretary Barbara Foster…

“This was one of our strongest performances as a team. There were some amazing rallies during this match with both teams

working hard. Many players were giving it their all in what was a really tough battle. The sets were closely fought and we worked well as a team, especially on defence. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but our coach

to right) Heather Leeds Carnegie in action (from left Paula Scott Lieberman, Klaudia Weiczorek and

Jefferson Williams thought that we tried our very best but there is always room for improvement!”

The campaign so far…

“The first half of the season was disappointing for us.

We have spent a great deal of time reflecting on our performances and now realise that we need to have higher expectations of ourselves as individuals and as a team unit. We are determined to improve our game during the second half of this season.”

Key moments in the season…

“Our recent win against Polonia IMKA London has

Aspirations for the team…

“Even though competition is really tough this season in the Super 8s - we wish to continue our good run and build on the wins we have ground out. As a team we aspire to be the top women’s team in the country. With hard graft, determination and teamwork, anything is possible!”

Virag Farkas passes the ball for Carne

gie

Would you like your game to feature in our next ACTION REPLAY? Please contact Jess Taylor, j.taylor@volleyballengland.org To keep up to date on all the fixtures and results throughout the season check the NVL section of the Volleyball England website www.volleyballengland.org/national_league 21

www.volleyballengland.org

Technology in Volleyball In-Game Statistical Analysis

In the second of the series, Coach John Biddiscombe of Guildford International VC gives his coaching perspective on in-game statistical analysis and how this technology can be used to improve team and individual performance.

Volleyball is no different to other sports in the increasing use of statistics for both coaches and the media to enhance understanding of the game. At present, there are two main programs that are used for recording match statistics at elite level: • Volleyball Information System (VIS) used for official FIVB events such as World Championships, World League and Olympic Games.

• DataVolley is used for CEV events such as European Championships, European League and Champions League matches, it is also used in the UK for the UK School Games and Volleyball England National Cup Finals. DataVolley is also used extensively by international and club teams.

How they match up - VIS v DataVolley There is a fundamental difference in what is scouted between VIS and Data Volley. VIS records every touch of the ball during a rally so at the end of a tournament it is possible to award the best player in every category, whereas Data Volley just concentrates on “point scoring” skills.

With over a decade of experience in volleyball stats and having used

22

both systems extensively Ben Brown has put together a very informative website (www.volleyballscores. co.uk) detailing the differences between the two systems and the DataVolley off-shoot Click & Scout.

Personally, from my experience in operating these systems, and comparing the information that can be extracted and assessing their ease of use DataVolley takes the edge over its rival VIS. DataVolley is also the first choice for most international teams and professional clubs.

The drawback to the DataVolley system is the price - €350 for an annual licence or €990 for what they call a “Lifetime” licence. This price puts it out of the reach for most

amateur clubs and teams.

limitations.

Click & Scout

The main difference between the two programs is that Click & Scout has a graphical interface ideally suited to Tablet computers whereas DataVolley uses a series of codes entered via the keyboard, which requires a fairly experienced operator.

Data Projects, the Italian makers of DataVolley have recognised this potential gap in the market and have released an alternative to DataVolley called “Click & Scout” which is available for the much more reasonable price of €49 per year.

Click & Scout is designed to be used on a tablet computer, although it runs perfectly well on a laptop.

It shouldn’t be seen as a cut down version of DataVolley as it can do things that are not possible or are really complex in DataVolley, such as recording serve and attack direction.

There is file compatibility between both programs albeit with certain

VIS

DataVolley

Click & Scout

Data Input

Keyboard

Keyboard

Touch screen or mouse

Operating System

PC only

PC only

PC & Mac (iPad available in 2012)

Skills scouted

All skills – every touch of the ball is recorded

Point scoring skills plus serve and reception.

Attacks and blocks during rally plus any errors that cause a point (e.g. setting handling faults)

Serve and reception.

Attack and block during a rally.

Serve and Attack direction

No

Yes, by advanced coding.

An experienced statistician is required.

PC & Mac (iPad available in 2012)

Personnel required

5 – Two at each end of the court doing one team – one caller and one doing data entry). One person is required to coordinate both sets of data.

2 – One “caller”, one doing data entry. An experienced statistician would be able to do it all.

PC & Mac (iPad available in 2012)

Cost

Not available to the public

€350 for an annual licence, PC & Mac (iPad available €990 for a Lifetime licence in 2012)

How it Works…

Click & Scout is designed to be used on the bench and there are features that enable the operator to bring up directional information for serve and attack instantly on the screen with what they call “Interactive Analysis”, functions which are not available in DataVolley.

Game-time!

Setting up a new match

After entering the details of the match, such as date, time, venue and referees, you need to select the players for the match from the team’s roster. Once that has been done you are ready to enter the starting line up (including the libero(s)).

When the line-up has been completed the teams will appear on the court with the receiving team in the designated reception formation, the serving team identified and the servers’ number circled. To scout the match you will basically be drawing the direction of serve and attacks on the screen in real time during the rally.

Scouting

the set or dig as these aren’t point scoring skills), the program will show the players in their “switched” positions to make this easier, again a line is automatically drawn linking the two points. Attacks are recorded, and displayed, for both teams as the rally continues until a point is scored (green for a continuation, black for a point and red for an error). It is possible to show if the attack is blocked, either a touch to continue the rally, or to win/lose the point which can be credited to a player.

Needless to say the points are added

Selecting the starting line up

The scouting system is very easy to use. For example, to record a serve you simply click on the position from where the ball is being served from and then where the ball is passed from, or where it lands if it is an ace.

A line is drawn on the screen linking the two points. The program is smart enough to know that if the landing point is out of bounds the opposition win the rally. You then click on the player that makes the reception.

Once the passer has been selected you can rate the quality of the reception, while it is possible just to leave this as the default, one of the major benefits from a coach’s point of view is to compare a team’s attack after a good reception compared to a poor one.

To record an attack you click on the

Report showing the direction of player attacks

to the score, the serve changes and rotations are updated in line with whoever wins the rally.

or in transition. By clicking on any rotation, for either team, you get a larger display of the attacks which can be useful to share with your team during time-outs.

Reports As well as the Interactive Analysis there are a whole range of reports that can be displayed on screen, saved as a pdf file or printed out.

The “Match Report” is very similar to the reports that are produced in DataVolley and can often be seen on the CEV website neatly summarising the match.

You can view most of the reports either for the whole match or individual sets which is useful to see if there are any differences during the course of a match. For example, a setter may use the middle attack less as the match progresses. It’s also possible to perform an analysis of a team over several matches.

Interactive Analysis At the end of the match (or even between sets) it is possible to get various reports detailing players’ performance similar to DataVolley.

But what really makes Click & Scout stand out is the Interactive Analysis.

It is possible to view on the screen in real time the direction and outcome of previous serves for the player about to serve. The “Pull Out” tab on the right of the screen shows the attack directions for all rotations for both teams with the present rotation highlighted. There is an option to select viewing attacks from all receptions, from a positive reception

Player details in the Team Roster

Summary Click & Scout is constantly being refined and there are some features that haven’t been implemented yet, such as Team Distribution reports.

It is obvious that the developers have a deep understanding of the game and the needs of a coach. I can imagine an assistant coach using a tablet computer on the bench during the game, sharing insights with the coach and team during time-outs and between sets.

Currently the only tablet computers

Instant Analysis showing the Team attack direction from a positive reception with the setter in position 6

player making the attack, the point where the ball is hit from and where the ball lands (you do not record

Screen showing Service Direction (Note the Code Sequence along the bottom is the same as would be used in DataVolley)

Useful links for further information www.dataproject.com www.fivb.org/en/volleyball/VIS.asp www.volleyballscores.co.uk

you can run it on are Windows based, and there simply aren’t very many of those around. The program runs on Windows and Mac laptops, but you are losing a certain amount of usability without a touch screen.

An iPad version will be available later in the year; as yet there is no news of an Android version.

There is a demo version available, limited to 30 days and you can only enter a limited number of rallies. So if stats are something that you think might help your team, and of course it is possible to “stat” your team from a video after the match, then Click & Scout is well worth trying.

MoneyBall Who would have thought that a film about sports statistics would be one of the biggest movies of 2011. It is a measure of how the work of sports statisticians has become acknowledged that the movie “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt has been nominated in two Oscar categories.

“Moneyball” is based on the book “Moneyball – The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” by Michael Lewis, it is the true story of Billy Beane , the General Manager of the Oakland A’s baseball team and his struggle to build a winning side with limited resources.

He teams up with a Harvard economics graduate who has some radical ideas of players to recruit for the impoverished team by using an analytical, evidenced based system going against the perceived wisdom in the game.

By identifying players who match their criteria and had generally been overlooked and undervalued by teams employing traditional scouting methods they were able to construct a winning side.

Many of the statistical ideas in Moneyball are now being employed in other sports with several of our Premier league teams increasingly measuring, analysing and even recruiting players based on statistical performance measures.

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www.volleyballengland.org

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

COACHES IN

TANZANIA!

During November last year, Community Development Coaches Megan Dwyer and Gerard Van Zwieten swapped the schools and sports halls of Warrington and Leicestershire for the mountainous terrain of Northern Tanzania!

In an exciting mission, Megan and Gerard were tasked with delivering a week of coaching education to a group of teachers in Tanzania; sharing their coaching expertise and experience of delivering awards for Young Leaders.

Supporters fro

The visit was supported

by UK Sport and two key partners; Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the British Council as part of the International Inspiration programme. Inspired by London 2012, International Inspiration’s main goal is to

m the local scho

ol

Oscar P istorius tr his han d at voll ies eyball

‘reach young people all over the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games, so that they are inspired to choose sport.’ The project has proved to be a huge success so far, with over 12 million young people across the world taking part and is set to grow even further this year in the build up to the Games. For Volleyball England, this was also an excellent opportunity to meet with our Tanzanian counterparts, the Tanzanian Volleyball Federation, and to support the set-up of a sustainable volleyball programme for the future by sharing good practice.

DIARY OF EVENTS

Teachers in th e auditorium during a class room exercise

24

part in rs take Teache ractice p rm ra unde

Due to several transport delays and an unplanned night stop over in Amsterdam, Gerard and Megan

unfortunately arrived a day late in Arusha, the capital of the Northern Arusha region – situated only two hours away from Mount Kilimanjaro.

Before arrival a draft plan had been drawn up for the week, with the aim to revise volleyball coaching techniques and then introduce the Volleyball England Young Leaders and Young Referees Award to the course attendees. The course would then culminate in a large sports festival, including a mini volleyball competition to be run by the teachers themselves.

They had a quick evening to finalise their plans before meeting their group the next morning at Arusha Secondary School.

ADJUSTING TO AFRICAN TERRAIN… As the challenges of the location became evident, it was clear that their plans would have to be adjusted slightly! The chosen venue had limited facilities, with no reliable electricity source and an outdoor sports field under the direct glare of the sun. This wasn’t ideal

llect dren co l The chil tiona a rn te their In n t-shirts o Inspirati

Gerard Van Zwieten

Megan Dwye r (Hopkins)

with afternoon temperatures higher than 35 degrees! The 25 attendees, a mixture of qualified and trainee teachers, turned out to have very little existing knowledge of volleyball and resources were limited despite a very welcome shipment of top quality volleyballs from the International Inspiration programme.

One thing taken care of, however, was the warm up; the promised short hill up to the sports field turned out to be more of a mountain.

Leicestershire players should watch out as Gerard now highly recommends a 300m climb in altitude as a standard warm up for a volleyball session!

The enthusiasm and positive attitude of the course attendees were also truly inspirational; some participants had travelled for over 3,000 miles from the far corners of Tanzania just to attend.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES‌ After a re-evaluation of their initial plan, Megan and Gerard pressed on with achieving

Boy from nearby nursery

school

their overall aim; to empower the teachers to deliver volleyball coaching and leadership training to their young students.

They decided to start with fundamental volleyball skills to build confidence and then work towards Young Leader training.

When the sun became too hot, Megan and Gerard used the empty auditorium to run passing drills, or recapped the morning’s training in the shade. In the late afternoons quite an audience built up as eager primary school pupils were desperate to join in the activities and copy the volleyball moves.

After only one day, thanks to their impressive physical ability, the participants quickly picked up the basics and were able to start working on elements of the Young Leaders and Young Referees course. This included coaching, running mini tournaments and officiating small-sided games. To practice, the tutors lined up

an & rd, Meg

Gera

First practice of

teachers

reak

take a b

refereeing

25

www.volleyballengland.org

r lunch

fo Waiting

the full set of officials; referee, second referee, line judges and scorers; and despite the court markings being a large rock in each corner, each did their job perfectly! In the searing daytime heat, the auditorium once again came into use as the teachers worked in groups guided by Gerard and Megan to practise making tournament draws and calculating results. By Saturday evening the teachers had rehearsed the coaching session for the morning of the festival and were confident in their competition organisational skills, ready for the big day.

On the Sunday afternoon, with the festival preparations all complete, finally a chance for a well deserved rest for the tutors.

Henry Liyaha, Secretary General of the National Sports Council, kindly treated Gerard and Megan to a trip to the nearby Arusha National Park. After a long week of working 12 hour days, a four hour safari was a very pleasant break and they even spotted a baby giraffe with his mother!

FESTIVAL TIME! On Monday, after a busy week of coaching, playing and organising, the big day of the festival had finally arrived! For the course participants, this was an opportunity to put everything they had learnt over the course into practice. In the morning session the Tanzanian teachers trained over 60 young people from a nearby primary school in basic volleyball skills, leading

up to an afternoon showcase of volleyball along with the other sports taking place over the week.

The festival audience included top political dignitaries from across the globe, including the Tanzanian Minister of Sport and Education and senior representatives from the Ugandan and Kenyan governments. Also watching were key funders and some top figures from the sporting world, there to show their support for the programme and to see how it works ‘on the ground’.

This included arguably the world’s most famous Paralympic athlete Oskar Pistorius, the 400m running sensation known as the ‘Blade Runner’. Acting in his official capacity as an International Inspiration Ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Oskar even found the time to join in a volleyball game with the young players, much to their delight!

take back to their schools. UK Sport were highly impressed with the quality of training delivered by Megan and Gerard, a real demonstration of their professionalism and innovative coaching style considering how different the circumstances were from their day job! Volleyball England now looks forward to a continued involvement with the International Inspiration Programme in 2012. The future looks bright, with a possible trip to Mozambique already in the pipeline.

Gerard Van Zwieten commented: “It was a real experience, never to be forgotten! It was really obvious how sport can make young people very happy.

International Inspiration does what it promises…. it inspires!”

AN INSPIRING EXPERIENCE… The visit was a fantastic success, with the Tanzanian teachers filled with enthusiasm for volleyball to Teachers practic e session at the sports gr ound

Arusha Primary School teachers and children on the final day of the project at Arusha Stadium

26

Inv Get olv ed!

Richmond Festival of Volleyball 2012 August Bank Holiday International Tournament Sat 25th, Sun 26th, and Man 27th August (3 days) Imber Court Sports Club (South West London) The three day festival is played as a series of 6-a-side competitions (Sat, Sun & Mon) and

4-a-side (Mon). This great value event is open to all levels of ability from novice players to Olympic hopefuls.

• Early bird offer - book before 1st June and get 3 days for price of 2

• One of UK’s finest sports clubs • Excellent camping facilities, swimming pool & parking

• Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

3 DAYS • Evening entertainment FOR 2 £50 TEAYM • Various playing categories ENTR (men, mixed, juniors) plus BBQ

www.richmondvolleyball.co.uk Proudly celebrating our 20th year (1992·2012) Volleyball England Licensed Grass Tournament

RICHMOND VOLLEYBALL Est. 1992

14th-15th April 2012

28th-29th April 2012

National Volleyball Centre, Kettering

National Volleyball Centre, Kettering

rand Sitting G Prix Final

For more information visit www.volleyballengland.org

ALSO‌

NATI NAL CENTRE