3Touch June 2012

JUNE 2012 www.volleyballengland.org

LA LLEYBALL ENG O V F O E IN Z A G E OFFICIAL MA

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NATIONAL CUP FINALS 2012

Reactions from the Winning Teams

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT THE FUTURE IS BOURNEMOUTH

Update on the Beach Volleyball National Development Programme

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Advertorial

GB Indoor Women’s Head Coach

GB Maria Bertelli wearing compressport

For volleyball in the UK, this summer’s Olympic Games are a watershed moment. It is the first time that indoor teams will be representing GB at an Olympics. If successful, the legacy for volleyball is huge with the potential to change the game at both elite and grassroots levels.

For the Women’s GB team a summer of hard work of training and competition is under way.

On the 28th July the GB players will embark on the biggest tournament of their lives.

Most of the players have just returned from a winter playing professionally in Europe so are match fit and raring to go. In the final build up to the Games, maximising every element of performance will be critical to their success.

Head Coach Audrey Cooper, an Olympian herself in Atlanta 1996 playing beach volleyball, commented, “One area that is essential to maximise performance levels is the players’ recovery. With the players training at high intensity and sometimes fatigued this is a time when they are prone to injury. It is key to minimise this risk and one area that we have looked at closely is

compression.”

Last summer, the team started working with Compressport, the world’s leading compression brand. At first, only a few of the team were wearing compression, but now the whole team has converted to using their calf guards, quad guards and full leg compression tights during training to enhance performance and as a central part of their recovery strategies.

who hates the feeling of sore, fatigued legs after playing and I will continually wear mine as I firmly believe in the product.”

Lucy Wicks, one of the team’s power hitters from Wessex Volleyball Club in Poole said, “Compressport garments have really helped me get through physically tough weeks. Training daily and pushing your body in the gym sometimes takes its toll. Rachel Laybourne, the team’s opposite hitter who started her career at Sheffield Wednesday Volleyball Club added, “I have to admit my Compressport has been an absolute savior since the very first day I pulled them on! As any player will know volleyball can be quite relentless on your legs. The Full Leg and FORQUAD help to speed up the recovery process and they allow me to shift my focus to preparing for the next big session. I would recommend them to anyone

To find out more about Compressport products visit their website at http://www.compressport.uk.com and quote GBVOLLEY12 for FREE P&P on any purchase.

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AUDREY’S TOP TIPS TO ANY ASPIRING VOLLEYBALL PLAYER TO GET THAT 1% GAIN! 1. Always warm up before taking to the court - for whatever sort of session you are doing as your muscles will respond better.

2. Think about what you are eating before and after all sessions. Choose food that will give you energy.

3. Recovery drink? Do you take one? For most sessions, you will just need to rehydrate well. Only use a recovery drink for intense, long sessions.

4. Wear compression for training and recovery. Focus the compression on the muscles that you are working hard – usually the quads in volleyball 5. Don’t forget to warm down.

When you finish a session or a match, you need to have a gentle warm down routine.

Believe me, your legs will thank you the next day

To support the GB Women’s Volleyball Team visit their website on www. gbwomensvolleyball. co.uk and pledge your support!

JUNE 2012 www.volleyballengland.org

MAGAZINE OF

AND VOLLEYBALL ENGL

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THE OFFICIAL

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RM ITA GE GE V OLLEYB TS ALL INT O GO S E PIK

NATIONAL CUP FINALS 2012

Reactions from the Winning Teams

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT THE FUTURE IS BOURNEMOUTH

Update on the Beach Volleyball National Development Programme

On the cover: Julie Kouamo of Malory Eagles in action against Team Northumbria in the 2012 Women’s Super 8s Semi Final at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering

Photo courtesy: Jessica Taylor Bimonthly - Volume 10 - No 5 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 June 2012 by

Newark Street, Accrington, Lancs BB5 0BP Email: info@mercer-print.co.uk Designed by Viv Ettenfield Editorial Board: Lisa Wainwright - Chief Executive Rob Harding - Head of Marketing and Communications Jessica Taylor - Marketing and Communications 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.

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s t n e t n co

4 WELCOME

Welcome messages from Chief Executive Lisa Wainwright and President Richard Callicott

5 VOLLEYNEWS

News and views from the world of volleyball

8 REGIONAL ROUND-UP

News and views from around the country

10 DEVELOPMENT

Hermitage Volleyball Club Gets Into Go Spike!

14 COMPETITIONS

14-15 Action Replay of the Super 8s Finals 2012 18-19 Results and reactions from the National Cup Finals 2012

16 VOLUNTEERS

Report and pictures from the 2012 Annual Awards Evening

features 12 BACK IN THE DAY

A look back at how two long standing NVL teams have achieved success

20 TECHNOLOGY IN VOLLEYBALL: WEB APPLICATIONS A look at what website applications are available to assist in the club and fixture administration process

22 BEACH VOLLEYBALL HOT SPOTS IN ENGLAND 2012 Find your nearest beach court and hit the sand this summer

24 SAND ADVICE

Gabi Medricka of Polonia IMKA London offers advice on how playing beach volleyball during the summer months can improve your indoor game

25 THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT THE FUTURE IS BOURNEMOUTH

Catch up with the beach volleyball athletes on the National Senior Development Programme www.volleyballengland.org

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e m o c l e W Richard Callicott - President It’s with great sadness we received the news that Dr Don Anthony MBE, the founder of volleyball in Great Britain and Northern Ireland passed away last month. Dr. Don Anthony’s loss to our sport, so close to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is desperately sad news. The world has lost a great man and wonderful inspiration to so many of us.

This summers Games will see volleyball in all its forms beamed across a whole host of media channels; television, newspaper, magazine and social media. It’s important we take our opportunity and take our sport to public spaces so that people get the chance to both watch and take part in our sport. It’s also important we welcome

newcomers to our sport with open arms and show them that volleyball is a healthy, fun and a great social team sport.

Through our Go Spike campaign we will continue to demonstrate that volleyball has huge appeal and this years campaign will use the enthusiasm of the Games to project our sport to a wider audience than ever before.

This is crucial as we seek to meet the targets of getting more people playing volleyball.

The summer is always a busy time for volleyball in England. All over the country there are Tournaments being organised on grass and the beach, showing what a great diversity there is in volleyball. To all the Tournament Directors, organisers and volunteers a big thank you for your passion and commitment.

We also continue to seek to introduce more youngsters into volleyball through our Let’s Play Volleyball programme enthusing young

people to the excitement as well as the fun volleyball offers. To many the sport is about playing for fun and that is welcome, but for others it is also about achieving their potential.

Through getting more people into the sport, this will help us to identify people who would wish to referee and coach our great sport and train more referees and coaches to cope with the increased participants that will come through over the coming months and years.

These are exciting times - Enjoy the summer and I am sure you will join with me in wishing our GB Teams for Volleyball, Beach and Sitting every success in the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

Good luck to you all!

Lisa Wainwright - Chief Executive The last few months have been an incredibly busy one for staff and volunteers alike!

The end of the indoor season is always hectic but with the final stages of preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games here it has been exceptionally busy! You’ll read about the finals of both the Super 8s and

Cup Finals held recently at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering and also the Volleyball England Annual Awards Dinner – celebrating our fabulous volunteers. This year was particularly special with the Peter Wardale Trophy being awarded to our Vice President Brian Stalker – a very fitting award for his lifetime support.

From a club perspective Hermitage Volleyball Club show how it is done, so to speak with some great ideas for development and down in Bournemouth we have the

Leeds Met take on London Polonia in the 2012 Men’s Cup Final held at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering

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exciting news that we have our first official indoor beach volleyball centre!

Alongside this – thank you so much to the 270 plus clubs who completed the online survey to help provide the steer for the new submission for funding to Sport England. The application was made in May and we will hear in December what our funding and outcomes are for the next four years, 2013 – 2017. At the same time we have been completing the Road to Rio submission for UK Sport for Great Britain’s Sitting Volleyball Programme – again the decision is due in December.

Much of this will be decided on both the outcomes of the Games and also the legacy from London 2012 – so let’s enjoy the summer and get behind all of our teams – go GB – as well as inspiring more people to take up the game – www. gospike.net

s w e n y e Voll Dr Don Anthony MBE 1928 - 2012 Dr. Don Anthony MBE, the founder of Volleyball in Great Britain, passed away on Monday the 28th May 2012.

Dr Anthony spent the past 60 years developing, educating and empowering people through his work in sport, both as a professional educator and in a voluntary capacity. In October 2011 he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his important role in the development of volleyball in this country and for his work around the philosophy, history and evolution of sport for the British Olympic Association.

Volleyball England President, Richard Callicott, comments: “This is desperately sad news, the world has lost a great man and wonderful inspiration to so many of us.”

Dr. Anthony, who lived in Sidcup, South East London, founded the Amateur Volleyball Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (AVA) back in 1955, having been introduced to the game while training with foreign hammer throwers during his national service days in Cyprus. At the time he was a specialist in sport and physical education, yet volleyball was an unfamiliar game to him, so he was determined that one day he would bring the sport to England.

During his lifetime, Dr Anthony travelled to Poland, Czechoslovakia and also spent two years at the national sports academies in Germany, Finland and Sweden before joining Manchester University as an Assistant Researcher.

While at Manchester he decided to found a national association for an international game, choosing volleyball, and in late 1954 he placed a letter in the Manchester Guardian calling for the establishment of the AVA. He was involved in volleyball ever since in one capacity or another and became Volleyball England’s Honorary Life President.

The Don Anthony Hall of Fame was officially unveiled on 13th November

2010 to recognise the international success and achievements of players, referees and coaches within the sport of volleyball.

Volleyball England and the volleyball community send their deepest sympathies and condolences to Dr. Don Anthony’s family at this very sad time.

Poem about Volleyball

by Dr Don Anthony, kindly supplied by his family Service was a noun I knew Set.dig,and spike seemed quite untrue But after our athletic training My Cyprus friends were entertaining Six-a-side, an eight foot net Real condition one could get Using muscle,speed,and will They volleyed to and from with skill I was a P.E specialist But this sport I had truly missed At some time later I then vowed Id learn it, teach it. not be cowed New job in a university Must research –what will it be?

National organization Its birth and through to full foundation In nineteen hundred sixty five The game began to come alive Olympic status – B O A Committee member there to stay A fifty year devoted fight In 2012 a master bite London hosts Olympic Games A chance to realise all aims No excuses please I ask Let me finish all this task 6 British teams will take their place If charter rules are used with grace

Don Anthony - February 2007

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s w e n y e l Vol

HISTORY MADE AS BPA SELECTS FIRST EVER PARALYMPICSGB SITTING VOLLEYBALL TEAMS.

The British Paralympic Association has selected the athletes who will compete in the men’s and women ‘s sitting volleyball teams for London 2012 – the first time ever that Great Britain will have both men’s and women’s teams represented at a Paralympic Games.

Prior to London 2012, only standing volleyball teams have competed for ParalympicsGB. The BPA has worked closely with Volleyball England to ensure that Sitting Volleyball met all credible performance requirements, before confirming in September 2011 for the men and March 2012 for the women that the sport would receive home country slots at London 2012.

“We have always been clear that there are no free tracksuits: in order to be selected for ParalympicsGB, you have to demonstrate that you have got what it takes to compete on the biggest stage in disability sport. Five years ago there was no sitting volleyball programme in the UK, so the sport has come on hugely in the last few years. The BPA has worked very hard with the athletes and staff on this team, including helping them identify athletes at our Paralympic Potential Days and providing additional support and education through our Talent Transition Programme. It is as a result of our combined efforts that we can now announce these athletes, and I’m proud that all of our hard work has paid off.” said Penny Briscoe, Deputy Chef de Mission (Performance) of ParalympicsGB. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, met the players at City Hall as part of the team announcement event. “The ParalympicsGB sitting volleyball team has a truly inspiring line-up of athletes who demonstrate the phenomenal power that sport has in bringing people together. As the huge demand for

GB Women’s Sitting Volleyball Squad

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tickets has shown, the 2012 Paralympic Games has captured the public’s imagination and I for one am really looking forward to watching the action in a few months’ time.”

“This is a great milestone in the sport, as we build towards our first Paralympic Games”, said Lisa Wainwright, Volleyball England Chief Executive.

“When Volleyball England took control of the British Sitting Volleyball Programme in 2009, there were just a few male players training.

Three years on we have men’s and women’s squads with players training daily with a full time coach.

“London being awarded the 2012 Paralympic Games has played a major part in sitting volleyball’s evolution and development. A big thank you to UK Sport and the Lottery, without their help it would have been impossible for both teams to have climbed International rankings as quickly as they have done. London 2012 will give the whole sport the momentum to take into the Rio 2016 cycle and beyond. We are genuinely excited about the potential of this sport in Great Britain.

The list of selected athletes is: GB WOMEN’S SQUAD Amy Brierly Claire Harvey Jessica Frezza Julie Rogers Jodi Hill Vicky Widdup

Andrea Green Emma Wiggs Jessica O’Brien Martine Wright Sam Bowen

GB MEN’S SQUAD Anton Raimondo Charlie Walker Justin Phillips Netra Rana Rob Richardson

Ben Hall James Roberts Muzzaffar Jabar Richard Dobell Sam Scott

MASTERS VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT Nurtured as an idea last season, a group of volunteers lead by Ian Towers are putting on the first ever Masters Volleyball Tournament on the weekend of the 15th and 16th September 2012 at the EIS Sheffield.

Ian explains how the idea for another tournament came about, “During last year’s Richmond International Tournament, a few of us sat around a dinner table and started to discuss what it’s like to attend a tournament as a plus 40 something, and we all had the same answer. Monday morning is going to hurt and where did all these 23 year old 6ft 5 players come from. It’s a long way from the legendary Ounsdale and Sandwell tournaments of the 80s and 90s. So as the memories started to flood back of watching Liverpool City in every Sandwell final for ten years we thought about the idea of an over 40s tournament.

“I can’t wait to see some of the old rivalries coming back into the game.

It’s been too long since the great Phil Newton has locked horns with Jefferson Williams and thanks to this tournament it wont be long until we see it again but this time in relative slow motion.”

The event is open to everyone with one simple rule - entrants must have been born prior to January 1st 1973. Players are invited to enter individually as a draft will be held to select the teams.

There will be a men’s, women’s and mixed tournaments.

Even if you are no longer playing, it is hoped this event could bring together a whole new community of people who may have been out of the game for some time, back in to the sport you love.

Tournament information and entry forms can be found at www. mastersvolleyball.webnode.com or email Ian Towers at mastersvolleyball@ gmail.com.

Jefferson Williams

VOLLEYBALL ENGLAND FOUNDATION UPDATE The Volleyball England Foundation was initiated as a stand alone charity in 2011 to distribute donated money to individuals and groups involved with the development, education and promotion of the health of individuals and groups through the sport of volleyball. Their aim is to help to ensure the opportunity to play volleyball is available for all and not limited by income.

The Foundation Trustees have now

established the charity and are in the process of creating a profile to allow anyone interested in making a donation aware of its presence. They are also looking into the possibility of appointing someone to raise funds for the Foundation’s work on a commission basis.

If anyone within the volleyball community would be interested in such a role please contact: foundation@volleyballengland.org

FOUNDATION

Foundation founder Andy Reed (right) with former England Captain Tom Stevens (left) photograph©BM Totterdell

MARTINE THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL WOMAN IN BRITISH SPORT Zest magazine has named Martine Wright, sitting volleyball player, as the most inspirational woman in British sport in 2012.

Just seven years ago, the former marketing manager lost her legs in the London bombings.

Martine was named ahead of a whole host of female sporting superstars which included the likes of TV presenter Helen Skelton, London 2012 medal hopeful Jessica Ennis, Gabby Logan, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paula Radcliffe and MP, Tessa Jowell.

Mandie Gower, Editor of Zest said “As London 2012 approaches, the buzz around

our female sports stars has reached fever pitch. However, the truly inspirational women in sport aren’t all potential medal winners.

We therefore wanted to highlight and honour those women, from trail-blazing coaches to presenters and MPs (as well as our sports stars), who have contributed to making this year the biggest and most successful British sport has ever seen.”

“Martine might not be a household name, but in terms of this year’s most inspiring stories in sport, no one comes close.

When it comes to true British grit and determination as well as what the Olympics

and Paralympics stand for – inspiring people through sporting excellence – we can’t think of a better role model.”

GB Sitting Volleyball player Martine Wright

ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR STUDENT VOLLEYBALL IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. ROUND UP OF RESULTS… Volleyball England Beach Student Cup 2012 On the 9th and 10th of June over 100 students travelled from around the country to compete in the three day Beach Student Cup event which hosted the women’s and men’s doubles and a mixed four competition. A last minute change of venue due to the bad weather and unusually high tides, meant that the competition was held at the brand new indoor beach volleyball courts, based at Oakmead College of Technology, Bournemouth.

FINAL STANDINGS Top 5 Women’s Pairs 1st: Northumbria University: Magda Ropiak/Luca Toth 2nd: Bath University: Jess Grimson/Lizzie Smith 3rd: King’s College London: Irene Bucelli/Veronika Bednarova 4th: Bournemouth University: Gemma Beddows/ Phoebe Jeffery 5th: Sussex University: Patricia Alejandra Calvo Fernandez/Daisy Moya Mumby = Portsmouth University: Magdalena Kowalska/ Laure Mortaignie

Top 5 Men’s Pairs 1st: University of Southampton: Renato Silva/ Andreas Savvidis 2nd: Cranfield University: Michal Orlowski/Giacomo Struzziero 3rd: Imperial College: Damien Nguyen/Raul Sanchez Galan 4th: Bournemouth University: Alex Clare/Edward Evans 5th: Southampton Solent University: Jakub Polomka/Ivan Vatolik = Northumbria University: Kieran Sowden/Attila Berndt

Volleyball England Student Cup 2012 The event saw 32 of the top University and College teams from across the country battle it out for the title at the University of East Anglia’s Sportspark. As is tradition, the men’s and women’s Irish Varsity winners were invited to take part - University College Cork representing the men and Trinity College Dublin representing the women.

FINAL STANDINGS WOMEN 1st University College Cork 2nd Bournemouth University 3rd Loughborough College 4th Loughborough University 1 5th Northumbria University

MEN 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

University London Union Cambridge University 1 Bath University Loughborough University Northumbria University

British Colleges Sport (BCS) Cup & Plate Finals 2012 On Wednesday 25th April the BCS National Volleyball Cup & Plate Finals were held at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering. Students travelled from all over the country to compete in the Mixed Cup, Men’s and Women’s Plate and Cup Final competitions.

FINAL STANDINGS MIXED CUP: Winner: Newcastle Under Lyme Runner up: TauntonCollege

MEN’S PLATE: Winners: Paston 6th form college Runners Up: TelfordCollege

WOMEN’S PLATE: Winners: Peter Symonds College Runners up: St Thomas More Catholic College

WOMEN’S CUP: Winners: Salford College Runners Up: South Thames College

MEN’S CUP: Winners: Newcastle Under Lyme Runners Up: Barton Peveril

For further information about BCS sport please visit www.bcsport.org

BUCS Championships 2012 This years BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Championship was part of a big weekend of BUCS action which played host to a number of sports in one big sporting festival weekend held in Sheffield between 16-18th March 2012.

FINAL STANDINGS WOMEN’S 1st Leeds Met Carnegie 1st 2nd Bournemouth 1st 3rd Edinburgh Napier 4th Essex 1st

MEN’S 1st Leeds Met Carnegie 1st 2nd Warwick 1st 3rd Bournemouth 1st 4th Imperial 1st

WOMEN’S TROPHY FINALS Durham 1st 3-0 King’s College 1st

MEN’S TROPHY FINALS Northumbria 1st 3-1 Cambridge 1st

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Regional Round Up South East

Portsmouth Volleyball Club are celebrating again after securing £750 from Portsmouth City Council The funding which comes under the “On Your Marks Program” will enable the club to continue to run their new Tuesday night training sessions aimed at encouraging ladies back into sport.

The funding comes just two months after the club secured funding from Subway. Jayne Sharpe Portsmouth’s club secretary said, “This funding is great as we can keep going with what we are trying to do with volleyball in the area, which is attract as many ladies as we can and ensure that everyone can afford to play regardless of their circumstances.

which will match the Subway funding. Another local initiative, Sportivate, could also provide over £1000 to run outdoor/beach sessions during the summer.

In recognition of Portsmouth VC’s success and hard work around the Portsmouth area they were invited

by Portsmouth Lord Mayor Cheryl Buggy to attend a Celebration of Sport evening to thank the people who invest time, effort and money to keeping people of all ages fit and healthy.

Jayne Sharpe (left) with Portsmouth’s Lord Mayor Cheryl Buggy

East Midlands

Benefit from London 2012 Legacy The East Midlands have recently benefited from a great investment as part of the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The National Volleyball Centre, Kettering and newly built Beach Park, Loughborough University now play host to beach volleyball courts that are open to public use. The Go Spike campaign will ensure that the courts are available for open community

Loughborough University’s beach park

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Junior Regional Talent Development Programme

The East Midlands Regional Talent Development Programme (RTDP) has continued this season under funding from the EMVA. Once a month the most talented junior volleyball players, nominated by club coaches, come together at the East Midlands Regional Training Centre for coaching sessions run by our top junior coaches. The monthly sessions are designed to compliment weekly training in their clubs and prepare them to represent the East Midlands at the Volleyball England Inter Regional Championships 2012 (IRC 2012).

The East Midlands Regional Training Centre was funded last year by

Volleyball England and the East Midlands Volleyball Association to provide a quality training environment for our most talented junior players. This investment was put into Southglade Leisure Centre as one of the most central, two-court venues in the region.

The centre is now equipped with international posts, nets and antennae with enough Mikasa volleyballs and carts to run two age group sessions at one time.

For more information about the talented junior player pathway and the RTDP visit www. eastmidladnsvb.com/juniors

South West

“We have several juniors who are now reaching 16/17 years old and had nowhere really to go and continue with their training, now we hope to see these girls playing more local league and then enter the National League teams”.

The club is also waiting for confirmation of another £1,000 funding from Sportsmatch

East Midlands

sessions for the first few weeks.

For further information on how to book a court or to take part in the Go Spike sessions, please visit www.eastmidlandsvb.com/beach The Derbyshire Volleyball Centre and Nottinghamshire Volleyball Centre are now open and fully kitted out, as two-court volleyball venues, available to hire. If you are interested in booking a court at either venue.

Talbot Heath wins through in the South West Mini-Volleyball Championships Talbot Heath Junior School in Bournemouth are celebrating a double volleyball victory after winning the final stage of the South West Grand Prix and the South West Championships last month.

Talbot Heath had already won the indoor mini-volleyball Grand Prix (league) in their last competition, but were determined to achieve the double win.

The U12 first team squad, consisting of Issy Wedderburn, Amelia Connolly, Alex Cornell and Yana Judson, played some

Talbot Heath A

excellent three-touch volleyball and succeeded in being crowned the South West League U12 Girls winners with a total of 41 points.

While the second team, with Josephine Garcia, Yana Judson and Charlotte Stasnborough, achieved a superb second place with 20 points.

Talbot Heath gained the double victory as the overall winners of South West Championships. Both teams performance once again highlighted their depth of talent, teamwork and determination of which the school is very proud.

Talbot Heath B

If you have a story which you would like to share in the 3Touch Regional Round Up please contact Jess Taylor, Marketing and Communications Officer at j.taylor@volleyballengland.org

South East

Kent International Clubs Sitting Volleyball tournament The inaugural Kent Sitting Volleyball tournament, held at Bybrook Barn in Ashford attracted eleven teams from throughout Europe over two days of competitive action.

Pool A was fiercely contested by British clubs Eagles and Gators, London Lynx and Battle Back plus Leverkusen I (Germany) and Aktau (Kazakstan). After some close group matches it was London Lynx and Aktau that made it through to the play-offs.

However, Lynx struggled to fend off the team from Kazakstan in a thrilling three-set match that saw Aktau eventually emerge winners and reach the final.

The play was no less competitive in pool B where hosts Kent

Wyverns, whose team included two junior players, were drawn with British teams Simpsons and Parabellas along with Finland women, Leverkusen 2 (Germany) and Kopenhavn (Denmark).

Finland and Leverkusen 2 made it to the Sunday morning final.

With many of the men and women’s GB paralympic team players in action for their clubs this was yet another opportunity for them to stake their claim for a place in the London Paralympics, which are now just under 50 days away.

For full results and finals standings or for information on how to sign up for next year please visit www.ecvd.eu

After 57 high quality matches at the brand new sports-dock at the University of East London, the London Youth Games School boys’ volleyball champions were crowned.

Ernest Bevin College, representing Wandsworth, and coached by England Volleyball international Darius Setsoafia, went undefeated in winning the gold medal.

The boy’s teams were broken down into four groups of five teams and played a round-robin format

Lincoln Imps become First Sitting Volleyball Club to gain Volley 1 Accreditation Lincolnshire Sitting Volleyball Association, also known as Lincoln Imps, have become the first English stand alone Sitting Volleyball Club to gain Volley 1 accreditation.

The club, founded four years ago, has developed rapidly driving sitting volleyball at school level but also offering high level competition to its senior members, who include players who have represented Great Britain. The club is truly inclusive, promoting sitting volleyball as a great sport for able-bodied and players with a disability to enjoy together.

Club Treasurer and Welfare Officer Ben Richards commented on how valuable the process had been for the club “The accreditation

Kent Sitting Volleyball Tournament

London

East Midlands

will help the club tremendously – to establish more partnerships with even more schools. It shows that we are serious about sitting volleyball and work to best practices to maintain the club and look after its members.

“We feel that the best way to sustain the club is to recruit juniors and we have plans to create a junior session consisting of able and disabled children, both boys and girls. Sitting volleyball is not that well known at the moment which means junior players will be able to progress quickly with real opportunities of playing for Great Britain, and we want to be able to give them that chance.”

Lincolnshire Sitting Volleyball Association

Wandsworth School Crowned London Youth Games Volleyball Champions by Joe Batchelor with the top two teams making it through to the quarter-final stages.

If people keep pushing us we will get better as well.”

Ernest Bevin College were in Group B alongside Eastbury – Barking & Dagenham, Grey Court School Richmond, Kingsdale - Southwark and Park High Stanmore - Harrow.

“It is great for the borough. We have a lot of support from the teachers and schools and clubs.

We like to make sure we give back to everyone who helps us. In the next couple of years I’m sure the standard is going to keep on rising.

Wandsworth School

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Hermitage VC Gets into

Leicestershire based club nearly doubles membership after supporting local taster sessions!

Hermitage VC recently supported Volleyball England’s Go Spike campaign in Leicestershire to deliver six weeks of taster sessions for beginners. Gerard Van Zweiten, Community Development Coach for the area led the sessions which were supported by Hermitage’s Head Coach and Club Chairman Ed Watson.

Gerard commented, “We try in the six weeks to explain the basics of volleyball to allow for all participants to be competent to take part in small sided games. The participants appeared to enjoy it as there are a lot of fun elements in the sessions.”

The two-hour sessions were held on Monday evenings and catered for a diverse age range of 21-50 and varying levels of ability; from total beginners to players who were returning to the sport after a long period away from the courts. The sessions were designed to meet all of the player’s needs and were based on having fun, being sociable and getting to know more about volleyball.

A typical session would begin with an inclusive warm-up and skill specific drills followed by informal match-play.

It proved to be a big success with 75% of the participants

10

now continuing to play volleyball on a regular basis.

Ed Watson, Hermitage VC Chairman commented, “The Go-Spike taster sessions have been a breath of fresh air to us. Having played for many years you sometimes forget how much you enjoyed learning to play the game. Seeing the beginners at these sessions, full of enthusiasm and taking onboard everything that the coach said, really rubbed off on the Hermitage club members that helped out.

“The sessions were so popular, that we’ve since set up a separate permanent recreational session, with the aim of bringing on beginners to a level when they feel they want to step up to Hermitage VC club nights and play competitive volleyball, or those who simply want to play volleyball in a recreational session to keep fit and have fun.

“Out of 15 participants on the six-week taster course, 12 of them have continued to play, and we’ve also picked up four more players for the recreational sessions. Taking our overall membership from around 25 to nearer 40 and 15 of them weren’t playing any volleyball before taking part in these sessions “We’d hoped to set up a

recreational session before, having 12 enthusiastic participants who’d all had 12 hours of quality coaching, made it a complete no-brainer.

“The plans of introducing a club night with emphasis on

competitive volleyball alongside a recreational night, will help the sustainability of both sessions, with two-way traffic between the sessions and new players directed to the appropriate session.”

Hear what the new volleyball recruits had to say: “I feel like I am now competent to play a game of volleyball! It’s brilliant, really enjoyable.”

Andrew Lucas

“I think these sessions are very good I like the balance between the physical exercise emphasis and the fun in playing games. I intend on continuing to play after the six sessions at the Club night.” Dave Burrows “Volleyball is a fantastic sport, it is very sociable and anyone can give it go.” Dominique Lammie

3

Gerard Van Zweiten

Want to run Go Spike sessions at your club?

Amy Seaman Go Spike Campaign Manager tells us a little more about it…

“Go Spike is Volleyball England’s initiative to get more people aged 16 and above playing volleyball by creating new opportunities for beginners to play in a fun and sociable environment.

“One of the ways this is being achieved is through six-week taster sessions. This has provided people who want to try volleyball the chance to do so under qualified coaching conditions on a discounted pay-to-play basis, without making long term financial commitments.

skills of volleyball and basic rules of how a game should be played. The sessions attract a variety of different adults from those who have only played on holiday or during their time at school to simply wanting to try a completely new team sport.

“The taster sessions are arranged close to existing clubs to encourage people to continue with regular activity, giving them an exit route to either join the club or continue with block sessions.

In some instances the taster sessions can be organised directly through clubs themselves as a result of a successful Sportivate bid run by Sport England. Sport ivate gives 14-25 year olds access to 6-8 week courses through a range of different sports.”

“The six-week block gives the participants enough time to grasp the fundamental

If you’re interested in supporting a Go Spike session please contact Amy on 01509 22 77 22 or email Amy at

a.seaman@volleyballengland.org

TOP DRILLS

FOR BEGINNER SESSIONS

Nationality: Dutch Playing history: Dutch International 1960s No. of years coaching: Over 40 Coaching history: Kettering Juniors at The National Volleyball Centre, Head Coach Loughborough Women’s University Team.

Occupation: Community Development Coach for Leicestershire

Dig. Once the player has adopted the basic dig technique, begin to vary the distance and height of ball. If the player’s arms are moving too much, take a ball and place under the arms. The player must then ensure that the ball does not drop during a dig which will encourage less arm movement.

Volley. Learn how to catch above the head with the ball as close as possible to the forehead. A good way to demonstrate hand positioning would be to ask the player to imagine holding a fizzy pop bottle to drink. You should also point out where the ball should land on forehead if not caught.

Serve. Introduction to the under arm serve – start off with players working in pairs and standing opposite each other a court width apart. The player should begin by rolling the ball to their partner without letting the ball bounce using a bowling action. The purpose is for the player to sit as deep as possible without releasing the ball to encourage them to use their lower body to power the serve.

Drill Dig

Drill Volley

Serve

Drill Serve

11

photo courtesy: Brendon Hollands

www.volleyballengland.org

Following on from last issue’s feature that looked at new teams entering the NVL, this month 3Touch caught up with two clubs who have been there year in, year out and investigate the secret to their long standing NVL success.

Nottingham Rockets (Men’s Division 2 North and new teams this year in Men’s Division 3 North and Women’s Division 3 North)

The 2011/12 season has been possibly the most successful one in Nottingham Rockets’ history with their Men’s first team bagging promotion to Division 1, while their women’s team have gained automatic promotion to Division 2 North.

Their Men’s team have had a presence in the NVL for the last forty years.

Head Coach Paul Lamb told us how they’ve managed it, “The links the club has between the universities and local/regional clubs has proved crucial with attracting new players and improving the standard.

“This isn’t without its problems however as the club has been forced to cope with up to 50% player turnover each season over the last five years due to students graduating and short-term job contracts. It has

12

been vital this season for the squad to recognise individual requirements, working with each player to reach their potential - with the goal being to consolidate their Division 2 status, which then changed as they began to find themselves in a promotional spot.”

Secondly, the club cites their junior development programme as one of the main reasons behind their club consistency to provide high level volleyball.

Although their junior section is relatively new, only being fully integrated into the club three years ago, several young players are already featuring in the NVL teams. The closer links with the adult section have given the juniors a goal to aim towards and the adults now understand how the juniors can support them. Paul believes the junior

section is vital for success; ‘Our junior development programme is now supporting the club’s NVL teams and over the next couple of years this will give our squads a stable core of players leading to a higher standard of play.”

out of the NVL once or twice but we’ve always worked hard to get back on track. Committed volunteer coaches are crucial to being successful and have given the team the direction they needed.”

Finally, Paul goes on to explain that the team’s success is fundamentally centred on continuity and a strong core of volunteers. “Rockets haven’t always had it easy,” explains Paul, “We’ve found ourselves

Nottingham Rockets’ three top tips for success in the NVL are ‘listening to the individual, linking with local schools and coach development.” Their motto:

“Success is not solely about winning, it is also enjoyment of the game”

Malory Eagles (Women’s Super 8s and Men’s Super 8s) The newly named Malory Eagles were formed in 2009 when London Malory merged with White Eagles. The club has taken numerous top flight titles and National Cup victories in the past and featured many of England’s top international players. As one of England’s most successful clubs, many newer teams aspire to reach their dizzy heights of sustained performance success. So how have they done it?

3Touch spoke to Barbara Foster, team captain of Malory Eagles’ Women’s side to get her perspective on playing in the NVL and overcoming the challenges faced. “The main difficulties are around the travel required by the top divisions, the rising cost of petrol and trying to fit matches in around everything else in our lives! However, we just really enjoy playing at the top of our sport and that is what drives us to keep putting in the hard work.”

As well as the allure of top level volleyball, the club also relies on a dedicated team of volunteers who sacrifice their time to enable the club to achieve at the highest level.

Many of these volunteers are highly skilled and bring a wealth of expertise to the club. Head coach Jefferson Williams has been involved with the club for a number of years; his experience

“You have to believe that you can win but also accept that you have to give your all to be successful!!” Malory Eagles motto as a top level coach has been vital for Malory’s success over the decades. It’s not just the first team players who drive the club’s longevity – the club is inclusive and welcome any players that wish to join with community relationships being strengthened through social activities.

Malory Eagles also have a strong junior section, like Rockets. Club Chairperson David Jenkinson

Malory in the Men’s Cup Final in 1988 against Liverpool City

explains, “We are totally committed to developing junior players and it is important for us to detect new talent within the community and allow young volleyball players to reach their full potential. Previously we have had two girls graduate to the squad whilst still juniors and both managed to reach the starting six before they went away for university. We are hoping they will be returning to

us in the next year or so which combined with the players coming through means that the quality of the squad will be maintained and improved.”

The team’s top tips for NVL success are: good communication between players and coaches to identify common goals, train hard and support each other but most of all you have to enjoy yourself!

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www.volleyballengland.org

3Touch rewinds the Action to the Super 8s Finals 2012 The National Volleyball Centre, Kettering played host to two days of action packed volleyball drama showcasing the best of the Super 8s and Sitting Grand Prix Finals.

The quarter finals (held two weeks previously) decided which teams would face each other in the semi finals on the Saturday, the winners having just 24 hours rest before facing Leeds in the final on Sunday.

A new look play off structure for 2012 concluded with a showpiece finals weekend to highlight the great developments being made across the National Volleyball League.

Womens Super 8s Semi-Finals Women’s Super 8s Semi Final – Team Northumbria vs. Malory Eagles

Leeds Carnegie was automatically given a place in the finals as a result of finishing first in both the men’s and women’s Super 8s in the regular season.

Team Northumbria won 3-1(2125, 26-24, 25-21, 15-13) Team Northumbria secured

Road to the Finals

Mens Super 8s Semi-Finals

their place in the final with an impressive team performance over Malory, which saw them come back after dropping the first set and take the game 3-1.

Malory entered the game full of confidence after knocking out defending Super 8s Champions Polonia in the quarter finals and took the first set comfortably.

Team Nortumbria fought hard in the second set as both teams had chances to close out the game however it was Northumbria who managed to deliver the killer blow and close out the set and from then on never looked back.

Men’s Super 8s Semi Final - Team Northumbria vs. London Polonia London Polonia won 3-2 (22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-20, 15-9) The men’s semi final proved to be equally as enthralling as the women’s, with defending Champions Polonia eventually securing their place in the final following a tough five setter against Team Northumbria. Both teams traded sets throughout the game as the advantage swung from one side to the other. But it was Polonia who powered

The Super 8s final league standings

Super Eight Men

Super Eight Women P

W

L

SF

SA

SDIFF PF

1 Leeds Carnegie

14

13

1

40

12

28

2 Team Northumbria

14

12

2

38

15

3 Malory Eagles (London)

14

8

6

30

4 London Polonia

14

7

7

30

PA

DIFF

PTS

P

W

L

SF

SA

SDIFF PF

PA

DIFF

1222 986

236

39

1 Leeds Carnegie 1

14

12

2

39

11

28

1183

837

346

37

23

1227 1091

136

37

2 Polonia IMKA London

14

12

2

38

10

28

1147

838

309

37

23

7

1198

74

26

3 Team Northumbria

14

10

4

33

16

17

1116

865

251

31

25

5

1208 1202

6

24

4 Swiss Cottage

14

9

5

29

21

8

1100

939

161

27

1124

PTS

5 London Lynx 1

14

6

8

24

31

-7

1208 1274

-66

19

5 Malory Eagles (London)

14

6

8

27

29

-2

1205 1090

115

21

6 Coventry & Warwick Riga

14

4

10

19

35

-16

1152

-78

13

6 Wessex

14

4

10

16

32

-16

993

999

-6

12

7 Sheffield

14

3

11

17

36

-19

1072 1238

-166

12

7 Ashcombe Dorking 1

14

3

11

14

35

-21

906

1032

-126

10

8 Birmingham

14

3

11

17

38

-21

1143

-142

11

8 Birmingham 1

14

0

14

0

42

-42

0

1050

-1050 0

1230 1285

All match reports can be found online at www.volleyballengland.org Photographs from the weekend can be found on the Volleyball England Facebook page, www.facebook.com/VolleyballEngland

14

e n leads the defenc Heather Lieberma Leeds Carnegie’s the ball in play p kee to bid ate in a desper

through in the final set to go on and book their place in the final against rivals Leeds Carnegie.

Women’s Super 8s Final Team Northumbria vs. Leeds Carnegie 3-2 (25-17, 25-15, 2225, 18-25, 15-10) On the final day of competition the highly anticipated Championship matches featured an epic game between Leeds Carnegie and Team Northumbria for the women’s title that saw Team Northumbria emerge triumphant after a five set battle, the final score 3-2.

David Goodchild, Head Coach of Team Northumbria commented: “I am obviously absolutely delighted with the victory against Leeds in the final as we had not beaten them in the previous 4 years and 3 attempts this season. The way our team has developed over the season and the players’ dedication to their training schedule over the last two months has really made the difference. We have grown in strength in all areas of our game.

It feels even better as this is our first season in the Super 8s and I can guarantee that we will be even stronger next year. ”This was truly a team performance with every single player making massive contributions. Hannah Gary was immense through the middle and from the serving line, Federica Guida passed superbly all day allowing out setter to run the game but Magda Ropiak, Kai Johnson (MB) and Luca Toth all made superb contributions both front and back court. Our Libero Victoria Black defended superbly with Lindsay Johnson being her usual calm self out-thinking the opposition on many occasions.”

over n celebrate victory Leeds Carnegie Me Final the Men’s Super 8s London Polonia in

Men’s Super 8s Final Leeds Carnegie vs. London Polonia 3-0 (29-27, 25-23, 2522) Leeds Carnegie faced London Polonia in the men’s final which saw Leeds Carnegie take revenge on the defending champions who denied them the title last year and took the Championship in style with a straight 3-0 victory.

Simon Loftus, Head Coach of Leeds Carnegie commented “I think everyone who watched it will agree, it was one of the highest level of games to be played in England for a long time, we’re over the moon.

For the guys to give me that performance at the end of the season was fantastic – it was probably the best team effort we’ve had. The blocking was first class and the jump serves from Roland and Justin worked well to eliminate Polonia’s middle threat which was so effective in their semi final game against Northumbria. Finally I’d just like to mention Polonia, they played a fabulous game today and they were very much apart of a great game and are a credit to the Super 8s.”

Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix Finals The remarkable progress that British sitting volleyball has made over the last few years was showcased in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Sitting Grand Prix Finals.

Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix Tier 1 Final

East London Lynx

celebrate victory

won a bronze medal in Beijing.

What promised to be an exciting game on paper did not disappoint!

East London Lynx Captain Anton Raimondo commented “The 2012 season has been an incredible year for East London Lynx sitting volleyball. We started with a pre-season tournament in Ashcombe which we won against competitive teams from Surrey and Malory. We struggled when the two clubs combined forces for the Volleyball England Grand Prix and lost 4 out of the 5 initial rounds of the tournament.

Lynx persevered and with hard training, some new strategies and a lot grit, we managed to face off against them in the finals.”

“It was a highly competitive and well-publicised match. All

in the Tier 1 Sitting

Grand Prix Finals

met several times throughout the season, with only four points separating them in the fi nal league standings.

Snippet from the match report: In the 3rd set some strong serving from Paul Bohannan set the tone again for Essex.

Some long exchanges saw Portsmouth play their way back into the set and, for the first time in the match, look like they had the ammunition to outplay Essex. However some good communication and teamwork from Essex took them ahead, opening up a 16-7 lead.

Portsmouth’s early promise in the set had fallen away as Essex cranked up the pressure. Credit must be given Portsmouth for

negie

Car against the Leeds s Magda Ropiak up Team Northumbria’ er 8s.

Sup n’s me Wo of the block in the Final

members of the club have grown and developed substantially over the year and it really showed both in our play and the mental toughness demonstrated on court.”

Surrey Gators & Malory Eagles vs. East London Lynx East London Lynx won 3-2 (2518, 21-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-12)

Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix Tier 2 Final

The Tier 1 final featured 12 GB players and Dutch Paralympic medallist Sanne Bakker, who

Essex Pirates took on Portsmouth in the Tier 2 Sitting Grand Prix final. The two teams

their enthusiasm throughout the match, however it wasn’t enough on the day to overcome the experience of the Pirates.

Congratulations to Essex pirates who were the fi rst winners of the day, becoming the 2012 Sitting Grand Prix Tier 2 Champions.

15

www.volleyballengland.org

ANNUAL AWARDS

EVENING

THE 2012 ANNUAL AWARDS EVENING TOOK PLACE AT THE NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL CENTRE IN KETTERING ON SATURDAY 28TH APRIL.

The evening recognised the enormous contribution that so many people have made to volleyball throughout the past year.

Awards were given to volunteers and referees whose impact on our sport this year has really stood out, but it was also an opportunity to thank all volunteers and referees for the countless hours they have given to the sport.

officiated at the competition.

Robyn has recently started her Level 1 coaching Award and on completion will take further responsibilities for Ashcombe Volleyball Club and the South East region.

NEW VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR CARY WICKS

YOUNG VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR ROBYN WISDOM Robyn has been a member of Ashcombe Volleyball Club since joining as a junior player aged 12 years in 2008. She has always volunteered as a junior member, line judging for NVL matches, preparing and selling food at club tournaments and helping to run the adult and junior competitions held by Ashcombe Volleyball Club. Robyn took her Young Leaders and Young Referees Award in June 2011 and was selected to be a young referee at the Sainsbury’s UK School Games where she completed her Grade 4 referee course and then

16

Cary played an integral role in gaining support (financial and otherwise) for the Great Britain Women’s Volleyball Team after their funding was cut. She has also helped the Team to deliver a volleyball legacy across the UK. Cary took responsibility for organising and managing a training week in Poole, launching the ‘Adopt An Olympian’ scheme and editing the GB Women’s supporters’ bi-monthly newsletter.

Club secretary, Ladies National League secretary, Ladies National League captain and Kent League team secretary. Katie’s commitment to the club and volleyball extends to providing the pathway and provision for future players of the sport through coaching lunchtime and after school volleyball sessions for her pupils and organising inter-school competitions. Katie is also an active 3N referee and will be an NTO at London 2012.

Katie played an active role in the club achieving its Club Mark status and is continually involved in the recruitment and support of volunteers at the club.

YOUNG OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR SAM DUNBAVIN Sam began refereeing at the age of 13 and now at only 15 has been fast-tracked to Level 3. Sam’s commitment to improving as an official has meant that he has been invited to the Sainsbury’s UK School Games for the last two years. He was also selected to give a presentation to other young officials at the event.

Sam’s big talent is a great understanding of the game and a level-headed, very mature approach to refereeing but with a fun-loving, engaging approach to coaching that makes him a great ambassador for the sport.

SERVICES TO REFEREEING RAY CAPEWELL

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR KATIE DOLAN Katie’s commitment to Dartford Volleyball Club over the past few years has ensured the success of the club. Within the club she fulfils multiple roles including:

over 30 years and is currently Nottingham Rockets Head Coach. Without Paul, Nottingham Rockets would not exist, let alone have experienced the rapid development achieved over the last 18 months. The U18 Men came third at the recent National Championships, the U16 Boys made the National Finals for the first time in the club’s history and the Men’s first team have won the NVL Division 2N title, the season directly following their promotion. Paul also manages to find the time to run the East Midlands Junior Programme and is Junior Development Officer for the East Midlands, Assistant Coach for the England Central Girls and has supported the growing club at Nottingham Trent University. Despite the years of experience he has, Paul is always keen to learn more and develop his own skills in both coaching and associated knowledge. For example, last year Paul attended the FIVB Level 2 coaching course.

LONG SERVICE AWARD PAUL LAMB Paul has been volunteering within volleyball consistently for

Ray Capewell is an active referee on both the Beach and Indoor, and has been for many years.

He is very well respected by the players, and other referee colleagues. He has also been involved in the training and

support of the Beach NTO Programme for London 2012, and has actively encouraged the NTOs to take up refereeing on the Beach, thus being very instrumental in the legacy for the sport. Ray has helped and encouraged many referees over the years, and his passion for the game has never diminished. Ray still enjoys the challenge of a well contested game of volleyball, and still expects very high standards of himself.

SCHOOL-CLUB LINKS OF THE YEAR TEAM SOUTHAMPTON Over the last five years Team Southampton has worked hard to develop links with Crestwood.

The club trains and plays their matches at the school so wanted to give something back. The school shares the club’s belief for developing strong links with its community sports users. Volleyball now is on the curriculum in every year group, with two after school sessions being run every week to develop the skills of interested pupils.

To develop this further four of the Team Southampton coaches regularly go into the school and run junior training sessions and master classes, free of charge.

The last five years have seen Team Southampton consistently put forward U15, U16 and U18 teams built around the players who have developed through the school-club link. A number of these players have then also gone onto play for the National League men’s and women’s teams. The club also offers extensive support to pupils who choose to study volleyball as part of their PE GCSE. PHOTOGRAPH OF THE YEAR COLIN BUSSEY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD STEVE EVANS Steve’s dedication to volleyball

Outstanding Achievement Award Eve Porter

Photograph of the Year Colin Bussey

stretches back over decades in a wide range of guises. As an administrator, Steve was on the West Midlands committee for in excess of 20 years and most recently ran the competitions extremely effectively. Refereeing has been Steve’s main passion for many years and his contribution in this area at local, regional and national levels is exceptional. This covers the full range of refereeing responsibilities from top referee, to staff tutor delivering innumerable referees courses and as an administrator at all levels.

Since his retirement from the fire service, he has again willingly dedicated many hours to the sport and has never shied away from even the most menial of tasks having laid the competition floor on many occasions. It is not just the many roles that he has fulfilled that makes Steve a worthy winner of this Award, but more the manner in which he has done so. He is always there when he is needed. He is always friendly and approachable – a true ambassador for the sport.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD NICK SHAFFERY Nick has made an outstanding contribution to volleyball in England over many years.

At a national level, as the architect behind the National Curriculum for Volleyball and the development of the Let’s Play Volleyball coaching cards, he has made a substantial impact into the teaching of volleyball to young people throughout the UK. At a regional level, Nick has coached successful teams and was regional junior officer for the West Midlands for many years (coaching alone has been a passion for over 25 years!). A further success story has been the regular come and play sessions that he and his

Peter Wardale Memorial Award Brian Stalker

Lifetime Achievement Award Nick Shaffery and Steve Evans

School-Club Links of the Year Team Southampton

Club Of The Year: Ashcombe Volleyball Club

team have developed which have introduced many young people to competitive volleyball in a friendly supportive environment, sometimes up to 100 at one time!

Nick set up and runs a highly successful volleyball club at Tettenhall, focussed on juniors which continues to produce large numbers of young players – many of whom have gone onto NVL via Wolverhampton and other clubs and national squad success.

PETER WARDALE MEMORIAL AWARD BRIAN STALKER Brian has been involved at grassroots, national association and international federation level as player, referee and administrator for over 38 years.

He has served on the Volleyball England Board of Directors for nearly 32 years and supported the sport through enormous changes in this time. He is currently employed as Beach Volleyball Services Manager for LOCOG. HIGHER EDUCATION VOLLEYBALL OFFICER- OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD EVE PORTER The University of Sunderland previously had very little volleyball provisions or activity in place, but Eve worked hard to set up a regular volleyball session. She coached and marketed this herself then due to the popularity of this session the University supported Eve in expanding the club. The University club is now thriving and has a clear pathway for students up to BUCS representation. There is also a community session which is open to students and nonstudents. The club is now looking to develop a junior section and due to the work Eve does in local

schools and the partnership work with the local Community Development Coach.

STEVE MCMAHON Steve had a difficult task at his University since there was no volleyball club or activity in place until September 2011 when he started as a HEVO. Steve worked really hard and with the support of the University to promote the volleyball sessions through marketing and social media. he volleyball club now has 35 regular attendees a week, which Steve coaches and is now the most highly participated sports club in the University behind football! Throughout his time as a HEVO, Steve organised local friendly matches with his fellow HEVOs in London and organised indoor and beach tournaments.

Steve has done some great partnership work, linking with Volleyball England.

CLUB OF THE YEAR: ASHCOMBE VOLLEYBALL CLUB Ashcombe Volleyball Club has long been a prominent force in English volleyball producing some of the country’s top young female players. The Club holds a truly inclusive attitude as not only do they build their own club but offer support those around them to grow. The club has worked very hard over the last couple of years to develop a comprehensive volleyball offer – members can now play indoor volleyball, sitting volleyball with the Surrey Gators and now beach volleyball at the brand new Worthing Volleyball courts.

Their achievements this year are numerous, including winning the Under 18 Girls National Cup Finals, a successful bid to Sport England, links with four new schools and upgrades to the Ashcombe Volleyball Centre.

17

www.volleyballengland.org

National 2012 Cup Finals A weekend of top quality volleyball was on show at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering on the 28th and 29th April 2012. Some of England’s top sides went head-to-head in a bid to be crowned National Champions in front of a capacity crowd and supporters who had tuned into the live stream of matches on the internet.

The Knock Out competition open to all affiliated Volleyball England clubs has seen over 90 senior teams and 130 junior teams compete for the title since last October. Saturday’s matches featured the eight Men’s and Women’s sides do battle in the Shield and Cup Finals. While Sunday played host to the top eight junior sides in the U18s and U16s Boys and Girls Finals in what was a fantastic conclusion to the season for all the clubs involved.

Sanjib Sahota, National Competition and Events Manager said: “I am really proud and privileged to have been involved in the planning and delivery of the 2012 National Cup Finals held at the National Volleyball Centre. The event was a huge success, with around 1000 spectators and over 200 volunteers and of course the 16 teams all contributing to what was one of the best cup finals ever!

“This weekend was a great advertisement for volleyball in this country and how fitting that the event was supported by members of the Great Britain’s Women’s Volleyball team and Games Makers that will be participating at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

To see the full post-match interviews visit Volleyball England on YouTube (VEtv) at

www.youtube.com/Englandvolleyball

18

Quotes from the Winning Teams MEN’S SHIELD

MEN’S CUP Leeds Carnegie Head Coach, Simon Loftus “I can’t put into words how epic that game was. What an advert for volleyball in the UK. At 2-0 up I thought everything was going to plan but as always Polonia never give up and we ended up in an epic 5 setter.”

Leeds Carnegie Captain, David Clayden “At the start of the season we said that we wanted to win the double and now eight months down the line, it’s fantastic to say that we’ve done it. Going into a 5th set it can go either way but I think we started fresher in the 5th set and managed to close out the game.”

28/04/2012 MEN’S NATIONAL CUP FINAL Tendring’s Head Coach, Neil Masters “We’re absolutely delighted with the win. Our two standout performers today were Jack Bruce, who is only 17 and played brilliantly as libero. Also Ben Wilson played particularity well and executed some great passing to win some important points for us today.”

The Boswells School Captain, Joe Houlihan “It feels amazing, we’ve put the effort in all year but without the help from our coach and assistant coach we wouldn’t have been able to do it. We played out of our skin and have proved why we’re the best in the country. I think we really did perform brilliantly.”

29/04/2012 U16 BOY’S CUP FINAL

The Boswells School vs. Nottingham Rockets The Boswells School won 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-18) Most Valuable Player: Joe Houlihan (The Boswells School)

U18 WOMEN’S CUP

Leeds Carnegie vs. London Polonia Leeds Carnegie won 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 22-25,15-7) Most Valuable Player: Justin Brubaker (Leeds Carnegie)

U16 GIRLS CUP

28/04/2012 MEN’S SHIELD FINAL Tendring vs. Boathouse Dewsbury Tendring won 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-21) Most Valuable Player: Nick Davies (Tendring)

WOMEN’S SHIELD Team South Wales Captain, Carly Stewart “This is the best end to a really long season and all the hard work we have put in as a team. It feels brilliant, everyone is ecstatic, the whole team really pulled together today.”

Team South Wales Jose Castro “We couldn’t ask for a better way to finish the season. The players did really well as a team and I’m very proud of them.

We’ve worked hard throughout the season and we played our best game here today.”

28/04/2012 WOMEN’S SHIELD FINAL Team South Wales vs. New Forest Team South Wales won 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-16) Most Valuable Player: Charlotte James (Team South Wales)

WOMEN’S CUP

Tameside’s Captain, Sophie Keating “It feels great to seal the win, the team and coaches have put so much time and effort into our progression since the last 8s in February. We’ve put a lot of time into training and you can really see how effective it has been.”

Tameside’s Head Coach, Richard Jump “The team knew exactly what they had to do today. Having previously lost to Redhill in the last 8s we’ve put in a lot of preparation and a lot of a hard work to make sure it didn’t happen today and it has paid off, I am very proud of the team.”

28/04/2012 U16 GIRL’S CUP FINAL Tameside vs. Redhill Stourbridge Tameside won 3-0 (25-9, 25-18, 25-22) Most Valuable Player: Amelia Stamp (Tameside)

U16 BOYS CUP

Leeds Carnegie Captain Dori Kun “It feels really great, this was our third time in getting to the final and it feels really good to finally seal a win here.

After losing the first set we started to serve better and played our game, we’ve worked really hard as a team to get here so we’re all very happy.”

Leeds Carnegie Head Coach, Simon Loftus “We’re absolutely over the moon, especially with this group of players, we’ve been here three times and lost twice. They’ve worked so hard and really deserve this win.”

WOMEN’S NATIONAL CUP FINAL

Leeds Carnegie vs. Swiss Cottage Leeds Carnegie won 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-23) Most Valuable Player: Savannah Noyes (Leeds Carnegie)

Ashcombe Head Coach, Freda Bussey “They put on a great team performance and dug in as a group. The serving was really tough which meant both teams weren’t able to pass and that meant the points kept switching from one side to the other. This made the game really exciting but extremely nerve racking as a coach. Ashcombe as a club is developing lots of new junior players and this is the peak of our junior players and they have really done us proud.”

Ashcombe Captain, Georgia Bird “It feels amazing!

I think working as a team really worked well, we’ve had quite a few injuries to contend with but we pulled together to get the win in one of our best performances this season. Our coach has been amazing through the entire journey, getting us through the last 8s and now the final – it has been brilliant.”

29/04/2012 U18 WOMEN’S CUP FINAL

Ashcombe Dorking vs. Newcastle (Staffs) Ashcombe Dorking won 3-2 (16-25, 25-18, 1725, 25-20, 15-13) Most Valuable Player: Paige Nelmes (Newcastle (Staffs))

U18 MEN’S CUP The Boswells School Head Coach, Darren Lewis “I am absolutely delighted. They came in as underdogs and after losing the first set the way that we did, it would have been so easy to drop our standards and lose 3-0. But what great character to come back and win - they were absolutely phenomenal. It’s fantastic to see the improvement in the standard of junior volleyball, we’re delighted.”

The Boswells School Head Coach, Darren Lewis, “For Boswells its all about winning national titles and we’re happy to have retained the title this year. The whole team performed well, especially our Captain Joe Houlin who was exceptional, he led from the front and rightly deserved the MVP. Many players in this team have got a real big future, there are a lot of cadets in there going on to juniors and this is just another stepping stone in their education.”

The Boswells School Captain, Tom Ketley “It’s a really great feeling to come from losing the first set 25-15. We increased our service pressure in the closing set which made it difficult for the opposition to make a pass. momentum in the 3rd which seemed to finish them off. Our Coach has pushed us to work really hard having lost to Newcastle (Staffs) in the last 8s 2-0. All of that hard work and determination has pulled off today.”

29/04/2012 U18 MEN’S CUP FINAL

The Boswells School vs. Newcastle (Staffs) The Boswells School won 3-1 (15-25, 25-21, 2518, 25-22) Most Valuable Player: Toby French (The Boswells School)

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www.volleyballengland.org

Technology i In the final article in the technology series John Biddiscombe of Guildford International VC looks at what website applications are available to aid the unsung heroes of sport, the club and fixture administrators.

Guildford International VC is approaching its 25th anniversary and when reminiscing about the ‘good ole days’ we suddenly realised that email and websites did not exist. League tables and results were posted out to teams a few times a season – how on earth did we cope?!

In an age where expectations are for instant information to be available 24/7, the pressure is on for the beleaguered club administrator.

League Republic League Republic is based in Wolverhampton and claim to be “The world’s leading online sports administration system”. This is a bespoke system which has the Football Association amongst its list of clients, running their 2,000 leagues and 40,000 clubs. There are many features and benefits to using this application. However one of the most attractive things about this system is that it’s FREE. There is advertising on the site, but if that is a problem for your league then for £50 a year you can get an advert free site.

In volleyball, this particular system has been used by the London Volleyball Association for a number of years to schedule and run their leagues.

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League Republic will help you manage the scheduling of fixtures, player registrations and record results which will automatically update league tables. The system is very flexible and versatile and really puts the league administrator in the driving seat with a range of tools and wizards for the complex tasks. As an added benefit the system gives you the ability to delegate functions to others.

For instance, it is possible to allow the teams to enter results

It terms of ease of use it is possible to import fixtures from a spreadsheet or to use a fast manual method for creating multiple fixtures on a single date.

All the operator has to do it select teams from a grid or drop down menu. The system also allows for a multiple changes to be made at once, for instance if a team changes venue and start time for their matches.

The system allows for rules to be set which are unique for the league, features such as “bonus

would like to include. Fixtures, results and league tables can be viewed easily via the League Republic website and they also provide snippets of code to allow you to embed these items within your organisations and clubs websites. For an example see: www.londonvolleyball.org.uk www.leaguerepublic.com

Teamer

For the Team Secretary, Manager, Organiser, Captain or Coach the

“League Republic will help you manage the scheduling of fixtures, player registrations and record results which will automatically update league tables” themselves with the option to either update the site live or wait until the result is approved by the league secretary.

Included amongst the many features is the ability to arrange venue and team availability against timeslots. League Republic can assist with the scheduling of matches, whether they are to be played as soon as possible or spread over a period. The system also works well to minamise the headache of monitoring the number and sequence of home/away games.

points” and dealing with matches that run out of time. Additionally there is also an option for the teams to report match results

by SMS text message, where the team’s fixture secretary is sent a text 15 minutes after the scheduled start time and they simply reply to the text with the score once the match is over.

seemingly simple task of getting a handful of people together at the right time and in the right place to play a match can be a bit of a headache. Teamer was developed specifically for these people. Again Teamer is free application but as with League Republic there is advertising on the team pages.

Finally it is possible to create a customised look for the leagues web pages with League Republic’s Web Builder feature. This option enables you to post news items, photo galleries or create and manage any web pages you

Teamer allows the team organiser to send match notifications to their team either by email or a text message, and the recipient simply replies with a “Y” or “N” in reference to their availability.

The responses then instantly

in Volleyball update the team availability page on the Teamer website, so in the instance that a player is unavailable the organiser is able to clearly see the team line-up and if necessary invite a replacement player. In addition if a player knows that they will be away for a period of time they are able to mark the dates that they will be unavailable so the selections will immediately reflect it. In terms of usability the administrator can enter players into the system manually or can be imported from a spreadsheet, once the player is added and sent an invitation where they will then be able to enter further details about themselves.

Before inviting players the organiser needs to set up an event which could be anything from a match, training session, meeting, social event or tournament. Here there are options to make the event recurring and include full details time and venues (including a map) as well as a field for further description and maybe transport arrangements. Some of these fields will be truncated when sent to a mobile so that the notification can fit into a standard SMS text message. It is also possible to create a photo gallery for the team and save documents in a secure area, ideal for membership forms, scouting and match analysis.

A relatively new but handy feature is the ability to collect money via GoCardLess secure portal

(for a small percentage fee per transaction), to do away with the need for collecting cash or cheques from team members.

For amounts over £50 it is also possible to collect money by monthly instalments. Payment requests can be linked to Teamer events for collecting match fees as an example. As with match confirmations the team organiser is able to see all the payments that have been received in one place, so you can say goodbye to scribbled notes collected at matches. www.teamer.net

ClubBuzz

Most clubs will have some sort of website but how it is used and

will rely on one or two people to update and control the website and if the process is overly technical this will cause problems if they are not able to continue.

There are many companies out there who offer Content Management Systems (CMS), where the website design is fixed and individuals can be delegated to add or alter content using a simple interface. Depending on the solution this could be news articles, calendars and photo galleries. Several companies have emerged in the last few years offering a CMS solution specially designed for Sports Clubs. One company that stands out for me is ClubBuzz.

Unlike Teamer and League Republic, ClubBuzz is a paid for

sponsor details. There is also the option to add links to your Facebook and Twitter social media platforms and pull in external news using RSS feeds from sources such as Volleyball England.

In addition, the Silver package, costing £120 per year also adds membership communication and event invitations by email and/or SMS text message with reporting similar to Teamer’s functionality.

Communications to members can be filtered in several ways to make sure that just the people you want are targeted. Within the system it is also possible to delegate different roles to members, for example job could range from; dealing with new member enquiries to solely

The website is based on a standard template but it is possible to customize the colour scheme on the pages and add your own images, club logo and sponsor details. what its main purpose is will vary greatly. For some the content will be fairly static and will include information about the club, where they train and how to join. You can display dymanic content where news, fixtures, results, match reports and photo galleries may be uploaded.

The increasing demand for dynamic content can cause problems for a club as the level of attention and work the website will need in order to keep it up to date will increase exponentially.

In a typical club set-up, the club

service starting at £75 per year.

This basic package includes hosting the web site, a secure on-line membership database, a simple content management system, so that maintaining elements of the website can be delegated and provides you with the functionality to accept online enquiries and membership requests.

updating news stories.

At the top end of this solution, the Gold package costing £199 per year adds comprehensive facilities for club treasurers to manage payments from members for training sessions and matches. www.clubbuzz.co.uk

The website is based on a standard template but it is possible to customize the colour scheme on the pages and add your own images, club logo and

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Location: Bath University (BA2 7AY) Tel: 01225 385372 E-mail: adscsw@bath.ac.uk Info: Two beach volleyball courts available for hire at any point during the day, usually ÂŁ15 p/h Website: www.teambath.com/sport/ volleyball

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Location: Bournemouth Beach (BH5 1BN) Courts: One permanent court Organised sessions: FREE Saturdays & Sundays Club nights: Tues, Wed & Thurs nights Email: Andy Jones, andy-asj@btconnect. com Tournaments: 5th June: SWJBT, Bournemouth Beach. 5th & 6th June: VE National Student cup, Bournemouth/ Boscombe Beaches

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Location: Bridlington (YO15 3QN) Tel: 07833 483975 E-mail: Jonathan Newman, Jonathan.

Newman@eastriding.gov.uk Info: Two courts available through the summer period.

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Location: Brighton (BN1 2FU) Tel: 07767 686402 E-mail: mark.brady40@ntlworld.com Info: A single court available for FREE on the doorstep of the World famous Pump Room that serves Brighton’s finest ice cream, smoothies and sandwiches.

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Location: Brighton NIVEA SUN Yellowave (BN2 1EN) Tel: 01273 672222 E-mail: katie@yellowave.co.uk Info: Six courts available for hire at the Beach sport venue. Open up until 10pm in the summer under flood lights.

Website: www.yellowave.co.uk

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Location: Canterbury (CT2 8QA) Tel: 01227 766 352 E-mail: darren@ bodyandmindleisure.co.uk

Info: Four courts and a show-court (flood lit) available for hire - one of the designated Olympic training sites.

Website: www.bodyandmindleisure.co.uk/ facilities/main-beach-courts-canterbury

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Location: Centre Parcs - Sherwood Forest (NG22 9DN) Tel: 08448267723 Info: One of the latest courts to be installed around the country through the Go Spike initiative, FREE to all guests staying at Centre Parcs.

Website: www.centerparcs.co.uk/villages/ sherwood/todo/outdoor

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Location: Clacton on Sea (CO16 8TB) Tel: 01255 686 684 E-mail: cholmes@tendringdc.gov.uk Info: Two Courts available daily from mid April 2012

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Location: Crystal Palace (SE19 2BB) Tel: 020 8768 8117 E-mail: hannah.hetherington@gll.

king for beach volleyball this summer?

Check out some of these destinations from across England.... org Info: Two courts available throughout the summer period.

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Location: Croyde (E33 1PX) Tel: 0777 33 82 305 E-mail: denise@ beachvolleyballinc.com Info: Daily recreational sessions run across six courts at the Academy of Beach Sports Website: www.academyofbeachsports. org.uk

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Location: Great Yarmouth (NR30 2EH) E-mail: Tomasz Morawski t.morawski@uea.ac.uk Info: Semi permanent court

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Location: Horsham (RH12 1RL) Tel: 07764146338 E-mail: Ian.Ford@horsham.gov.

uk Info: One court available free at Horsham Park.

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Location: Kettering (Arena Sports at Kettering) Tel: 01536 414308 E-mail: info@balancehealthclubs.co.uk Info: 3 courts available for hire.

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Location: Loughborough University Campus (Sports Reception) Tel: 01509 226250 E-mail: sdc@Lboro.ac.uk Info: 3 courts available for hire.

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Location: Margate (CT9 1UN) Tel: 01843 577367 E-mail: sport@thanet.gov.uk Info: Two Courts are available for hire

(floodlit)

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Location: Redcar (TS10 3AE) E-mail: brian.mclean@redcarcleveland.gov.uk Info: Two courts available through the summer period.

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Location: Shoreditch (N1 5DR) E-mail:bookings@ londonbeachvolleyball.org.

Info: One court available for free in the summer when registering as a member of London Beach Volleyball Club.

Website: www.londonbeachvolleyball.org

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Location: Skegness (PE25 1JW) E-mail: Matthew.Archer@elindsey.gov.uk Info: Two courts available through the summer period.

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Location: Southsea Common (PO5 3NT) Tel: O7754432846 E-mail: jayneds201@hotmail.com Info: Three courts available for FREE all year round 24/7.

Website: www.volleyballnewsletter.com

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Location: St Andrews Beach Volleyball Club, Email: Colin Paterson: beach@ colinshelly.wanadoo.co.uk Website: St Andrews Beach Volleyball Club Facebook page

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Location: Sandbanks Volleyball Club (BH8 9PZ) Courts: Two permanent courts Organised sessions: Mon, Tues & Thurs nights during summer Website: www.wessexvolleyball.com/

sandbanks Tournaments 17th & 18th July: Sandbanks Beach Volleyball Festival & SWJBT

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Location: Weymouth (DT4 8DL) E-mail: steveDavies@ weymouth.gov.uk Info: Two courts available through the summer period.

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Location: Worthing (BN11 2ES) Tel: 01903 216 937 E-mail: stefsykes@gmail.com Info: Two courts available for hire daily.

Beginner sessions are held every Saturday 10-11am is U14s, 11-12.00 over 14s and adults.

Website: www.worthingsandcourts.co.uk

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Location: Weston Super Mare (BS23 1AL) Tel: 01275 882733 E-mail: rebecca.mccormack@n-somerset. gov.uk.

Info: Two courts available through the summer period..

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Location: Leyton - Waltham Forest (E10 5JY) Tel: 020 8556 5973 E-mail: Neil.Brown@locsp.org Info: Courts available Daily, managed by Leyton Orient Sports Programme

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Location: Westminster (W2 5EZ) Tel: 020 7121 0642 E-mail: academysport@ westminsteracademy.biz Info: One court available daily from AprilSeptember, call to book.

If you know of a beach volleyball facility that is open for public use which is not listed, please email Amy Seaman, Go Spike Campaign Manager at a.seaman@volleyballengland.org More information and contact details for all of these facilities can be found on the Go Spike website www.gospike.net

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www.volleyballengland.org

Gabi Medricka, Captain of Polonia IMKA London Super 8s team and former winner of the Volleyball England Beach Tour

Gabi Medricka, gives a low down on how playing beach volleyball during the summer can help your indoor game.

A lot is often said about the incompatibility between indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. While some of this may be true at the highest international level, at domestic level here in England where volleyball teams train an average of once or twice per week, beach volleyball can be more beneficial to a player’s indoor game than many coaches and players may think.

Gabi has been playing volleyball for around 20 years and beach volleyball for 13 years.

She started playing beach volleyball after suffering from a serious knee injury that had developed through playing indoor volleyball on the hard surfaces. After being introduced to beach volleyball Gabi realised that she could work on different muscles and overall physical fitness with less damaging consequences at a lower risk of injury. With only two players covering the entire court, there is no room for specialisation, helping to improve a players all round skill set involved in volleyball. Gabi explains “When I came back to indoor volleyball after my first full summer of beach volleyball, I saw big changes in my indoor game. I was much more aware of the space around me, I was better able to see gaps in opponents’ defence and I also felt much fitter.”

Over time, Gabi has also learnt a lot about perception, precision and moving efficiently and now feels quicker in defence and has benefited from an improved anticipation of the game and her opponents. “As coaching is not permitted during matches, I have also learned to be self-critical yet patient when things are not going my way.” Furthermore, with just two players and no coach on court, Gabi believes that strong partnerships can

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be built through good communication, both on and off the court - something which is also very important in the indoor game.

Gabi believes that Beach volleyball and indoor volleyball are at the same time very similar, yet very different. “I think that both games have their own beauty and attraction but I also believe that there are many benefits to be found in combining them both.” Although Gabi considers these games to be compatible; she would recommend having an indoor focus during the winter season and a beach focus during the summer season.

court. Suddenly, familiar actions are not good enough to conquer the sand. You are also facing the elements of wind, sun and the open space. But this is where you can work on and develop your patience and where desire becomes key! The rewards and satisfaction gained from getting it right are most definitely worth the effort!”

Talking about playing indoor Gabi commented “In Polonia IMKA London, the majority of our players also play beach volleyball in the summer season, with several of us competing regularly on the Volleyball England Beach Tour. Our coach Mark Kontopoulos actually encourages us to take a break from indoor and play beach in the off-season.” It is evident that the team really believe that this has helped them to stay

“Players don’t only improve their physical strength, explosiveness and stamina but also develop camaraderie and great friendships.”

Gabi believes that as lots of teams in England take a break from training in the summer, it is the ideal opportunity for their players to get on the sand in order to stay fit and competitive. “Players don’t only improve their physical strength, explosiveness and stamina but also develop camaraderie and great friendships.” From Gabi’s experiences she believes that in beach volleyball you are more likely to get to know your opponents, as tournaments are held in a more social environment and get plenty of opportunities to support each other.

Gabi explains that although there are many benefits to trying out beach volleyball it can also be frustrating when you first start out.

“Unfortunately some indoor players find it difficult to play beach because of its specific tactics and they sometimes feel lost on the

amongst the top volleyball teams in England.

Not from getting a well-earned break from their indoor training routine, but also getting the opportunity to work on individual skills that are later beneficial to the whole team.

“The sun, sand, sea and overall fun help clear our minds in order to be ready, fresh and motivated for the new indoor season.”

In London, the London Beach Volleyball Club offer a number of training sessions for players of all abilities and there are also several clubs around the country and of course plenty of tournaments to take part in. “I would like to encourage all volleyball players of all levels to come and have a go this summer!”

Visit the Volleyball England website to find out more about how to register and how to participate in beach volleyball this summer www.volleyballengland.org

England’s first indoor beach facility opens!

3Touch caught up with Dr Annetta Minard, Executive Headteacher of The LeAF Campus, Bournemouth to find out about their new indoor beach courts.

style management of the highest calibre, to equip young athletes for a career in volleyball, as player, officials, coaches or personal trainers.

The LeAF indoor beach facility can be arranged according to the level of competition, from four training courts to three match courts or one central international court. The facility has been developed and funded by The North Bournemouth Learning and Achievement Federation (LeAF), which is a Multi Academy Trust, consisting of three schools and two nurseries, across the 0-19 age range. The court and finances will be maintained and managed by our internal staff and the income generated will be reinvested into the further development of sporting facilities at the campus.

The courts will also be used by the local community to promote and increase participation in the game in the area. Children and adults of all ages will be introduced to the game and given the chance to develop their skills through the many coaching opportunities which are available through Wessex VC. Wessex is a partner of LeAF and the excellent junior development programme that has been developed by the club will benefit from access to the new indoor beach courts.

LeAF is a Satellite Academy for Volleyball England and they want their elite players to have the opportunity to train for beach and indoor competitions and although they are not expecting players to specialise too early, they do want them to have high level coaching and experience in both disciplines.

They are offering players the opportunity to study for The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, alongside A-levels of their choice. Athletes will be training and competing in volleyball for 15-20 hours a week as part of their full time education programme. The development of the indoor beach facility is an integral part of their plans to provide facilities, training, education and life

All students at LeAF will be following a sand sport unit as part of their PE curriculum and local schools will all be able to share the facility through taster sessions and inter school competitions, such as The Dorset School Games, which will be run in May. Although the courts were only recently completed they is already a full programme, including Volleyball England training camps, Volleyball England coaching courses, Junior International Training and exhibition events, TASS athlete camps, LeAF Wessex elite weekend camps, local leagues and tournaments.

The indoor court is not just a facility for Bournemouth, their aim is to raise the profile of volleyball and beach volleyball across the country and increase the status of our players in Europe.

Introducing the Beach Volleyball National Development Programme for Athletes In order to take beach volleyball to the next step and build on its growth the need for a National Beach Development Programme for senior athletes was identified. The idea is that this would help to raise the profile of beach volleyball within England and facilitate a year round beach volleyball training environment, in order to compete with other countries on an international stage.

coaching from a core group of four experienced coaches. Andy Jones is the lead on the TASS programme and coaches at Bournemouth University while Vince Joyce, Amanda Glover and Vangellis Koutouleas also work with the programme to deliver further coaching support. As part of the programme the athletes receive support in strength and conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy and massage.

After the Olympics were awarded to London the British Volleyball Federation’s (BVF) World Class Performance Programme focused on Bath University to become the first performance centre for beach volleyball with development of two beach courts built at the University. For a short period Volleyball England delivered a beach training programme alongside the BVF initiative.

Alongside training and athlete development Bournemouth University offer comprehensive educational opportunities for those athletes who wish to complete a University degree.

The centre also supports athletes studying at other institutions in the South West through TASS and extra training sessions.

In 2010 and with a reduction in funding to the BVF the bold decision was made to relaunch and relocate the Volleyball England Programme together with the support of the government funded Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), to Bournemouth University. The links to the wider volleyball community made Bournemouth a more natural choice for the long term development of the coaches, players and organisation of the sport.

Athletes are selected following a nomination from the coaches and the final group decision is made by the full panel of coaches. As the Cadet and Junior beach programme grows, the number of satellite academies increases and more beach volleyball courts are established the centre hopes a larger selection of athletes will be wanting and looking to take part in a year round beach volleyball programme.

This is the first full year that the programme has been in operation and currently supports eight athletes, four men and four women, with beach

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www.volleyballengland.org

3Touch recently caught up with the athletes on the Beach Volleyball National Development Programme to see what life is like as an aspiring beach volleyball player in England.

What benefits did you receive as an athlete on the beach programme?

Gemma “The centre has allowed me to continue playing indoor volleyball at a high level, as well as creating the opportunity for me to start playing beach volleyball.”

Annie “Strength and conditioning all year round and help with balancing education and volleyball along with access to physiological support and treatment.”

Jess “All aspects of being an athlete are covered at the performance centre. We receive technical, tactical and physical training, whilst also being offered psychological, physiotherapy and nutrition workshops in order to become a more rounded athlete.”

ATHLETE PROFILES

Aaron “I am able to train as well as study at one location until the evening which is extremely

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Gemma Beddows Position: Setter/Opposite Height: 170cm Years playing: 7 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Andy Jones, Geoff Allen Course: BSc Accounting and Tax Highest Achievements: Winner of the U18 VEBT 2011 with Nicole Parish England Women’s Development Beach Squad 2012

important for my education. I also receive excellent quality coaching from a great team of coaches.”

Ryan “More contact time on the court which is a large factor for volleyball. But not only court time you get physio, strength and conditioning and mentor help with your future even if it isn’t in volleyball they lay on good meetings for the athletes to use for university and course choices.”

Edd “So many opportunities have opened up for me as a player, both indoors and on the beach. I have been able to play NVL, Student Cup and BUCS indoors, and have been provided with high quality coaching throughout the year.”

Lizzie “High quality coaching, high performance training environment, structured training sessions.”

Annie Tinker Position: Blocker/Defender Indoors: Setter Height: 173cm Years playing: 8 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Andy Jones, Vince Joyce and Geoff Allen for indoor Course: A levels Highest Achievements: Representing GB at World U21s in 2008

What is the best part of being with the programme?

Gemma “The best part of being involved with the performance centre is the amount of high level coaching I receive each week. It has allowed me to speed up my progression and has helped me to get out of the bad habits I had picked up over the years.”

Annie “It has given me the opportunity to prepare for the beach season all year instead of only having a couple of months between the transition of indoor to beach.”

Jess “Despite the lack of recognition for Beach Volleyball in England, the performance programme has allowed the quantity and quality of training that most international teams have. The performance programme has enabled me to progress at a fast rate, making consecutive semi finals and winning Sandbanks against a

Jess Grimson Position: Defender (Beach) Outside hitter (indoors) Height: 175 Years playing: 6 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Vince Joyce & Andy Jones (beach), Geoff Allen (Indoors) Course: Honours degree in Sports Therapy, studying at the University of Bath.

Highest Achievements: Representing Great Britain at the World U21s Winning 2012 Great Yarmouth VEBT

strong VEBT team.”

Aaron “The amount of support you get inside and outside of volleyball, for example Nutrition and Time Management skills.”

Ryan “The more time you get to achieve your dream and the opportunity to train near enough every day.”

Edd “Being able to compete on a regular basis at varying levels has definitely been the best part for me. I have learnt a huge amount in a relatively short period of time and this has helped me to partly catch up with other players who have been playing a lot longer than I have.”

Lizzie “Surrounded by athletes who want similar success and motivate you. As well as having experienced coaches, playing volleyball all summer and seeing improvements as an athlete.”

How do you feel you have progressed as an athlete during your time on the programme so far?

Gemma “During the seven months I have been at Bournemouth University and had access to the performance centre I feel that I have improved significantly. The strength and conditioning has made me physically stronger, therefore I

Aaron Walrond Position: Defence (Middle Indoors) Height: 180cm Years playing: 8 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Andy Jones Course: AS Physics and Maths, A2 Product Design, B-TEC Sport.

Highest Achievements: Finalist at the Junior VEBT Bournemouth Finals

can train and play at a higher intensity for a longer period of time, and being able to see a psychologist has improved my mental side of the game.”

Annie “I have physically progressed and also in my outlook to training.”

Jess “The performance programme has enabled me to be in daily training and get the one on one coaching that every team needs. Daily technical sessions combined with strength and conditioning work has benefited me on and off court. I have become physically stronger and fitter, whilst developing all aspects of my technical game.”

Aaron “I’ve grown both physically and mentally stronger, as well as improving my general volleyball skills.”

Ryan “Personally I have become a lot more independent and responsible for my own development.”

Edd “I feel that I have improved a lot whilst at Bournemouth University and the performance centre and having the opportunity to train with players better than me has helped me to improve at a quicker rate.”

Lizzie “I feel my beach partner and I have gained experience to compete abroad and have seen

improvements on the VEBT, plus positive feedback from coaches and others.”

from Brighton.”

country.”

Aaron “A lack of Beach Volleyball training outside of the season, but that will soon change!”

Annie “I want to improve my rating on the VEBT and to represent my country again.”

What challenges have you faced as a beach volleyball player in England?

Ryan “I’m playing a lot more experienced players on the tour and sacrificing an increasing amount of my personal life for volleyball.”

Jess “It would be a dream come true to be able to compete on the World Tour and represent GB at a senior level.”

Gemma “My home town is in Shropshire so getting to a beach to train was rather tricky. Since moving to Bournemouth and living within walking distance of the beach has been amazing as it makes getting to training so much easier. I feel the support that I receive from SportBU, TASS and my dedicated coaches has been one of the reasons I haven’t yet faced many challenges.”

Annie “Up until now, not being able to train all year round due to lack of facilities was a major issue.”

Jess “The main reoccurring challenge for me has been funding. Although the performance programme has given me many opportunities, further funding would have allowed more international experience which at the stage I’m in is essential. It would of also enabled me to base myself in Bournemouth full time and having permanent accommodation would have stopped the weekly commute

Edd“So far the only real challenge I have faced has been the weather! I have been lucky enough to play and compete in the sport with no real issues, due to the support I have received from SportBU, VE, TASS and my coaches. I also live near the beach at home which makes training much easier.”

Lizzie “Lack of funding and sponsors has led to relying on kind favours from others and self funding. No accommodation for the athletes makes it virtually impossible to train for beach volleyball all year round at the moment; the closest indoor beach court has been a two-hour drive away.”

What are your beach volleyball ambitions for the future?

Gemma “My aim for this season is to compete in all the VEBT events and to attend training camps abroad. In the future I would like to play for my

Aaron “My main aspiration is to play on the CEV and the FIVB World Tour.”

Ryan “My ultimate ambition would be to represent my country at International events like the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.”

Edd “I would like to push myself as far as I can, and will be competing at all the VEBT events this upcoming season, plus Sandbanks and Goldcoast. I am also hoping to train and compete abroad either this summer or next year when on my degree placement.”

Lizzie “Continue to be part of the performance centre. My short term goal is to win Volleyball England’s Student Cup 2012 and further success at VEBT 2012.

Long term I hope to gain playing experience abroad and play on the World Tour.”

Lizzie Smith Ryan Stout Position: Defender (Beach) Setter (Indoors) Height: 6ft2 Years playing: 4 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Andy Jones, Vangelis Koutouleas, Lynn Allen and Anthony Roberts Course: National B-TEC in sport and sciences level 3 Highest Achievements: Being awarded TASS and 9th at VEBT

Edward Evans Position: Opposite/Blocker Height: 6’1” Years playing: 3 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Andy Jones, Vince Joyce, Denise Austin Course: BSc Sports Development and Coaching Sciences Highest Achievements: 2nd in Division 2 Goldcoast Oceanfest 2011.

Position: Blocker Height: 183cm Years playing: 8 Current club: Wessex Coaches: Geoff Allen, Andy Jones, Vince Joyce Course: BSc Sports Performance at University of Bath Highest Achievements: Competing for GB at World U21s, European U23s in Russia (13th place) and World University Games in Turkey (19th place).

Winner Sandbanks VEBT 2011, Winner Great Yarmouth VEBT 2012

Matt Hunter Position: Blocker Height: 193cm Years playing: 5 years Current club: Wessex VC Coaches: Lynn Allen, Andy Jones, Vince Joyce, Vangelis Koutouleas Course: A-levels at Poole Grammar

27

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