Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix round 5 preview - Carolyne Dufley (Help for Heroes)

Defeats in all three of their matches on the last matchday in January saw the team, uncharacteristically for them, relegated from Tier 1 to Tier 2 for this weekend’s action at the National Volleyball Centre, the fourth GP of the season. 

But team manager and player Carolyne Dufley remains confident that will only be a temporary setback as the run-in to the end of the season looms large. 

She believes that HfH can rally strongly and not only push hard for a place at Cup Finals Weekend on April, but maybe even go all the way and win it. 

A tough ask? Most definitely, given reigning champions Sitting Bucks’ dominance in recent years. Impossible? Not at all. Sport, after all, frequently throws up the unexpected. 

“The benchmark these last few years has been Sitting Bucks, but they are beatable,” said Carolyne. “We have beaten them before and so have South Hants, plus Salisbury have taken sets off them, so it can be done. 

“Our focus first this weekend is to get back up into Tier 1 and to get players back out on court who were missing for us from the last Grand Prix. 

“This year, the first Grand Prix after Christmas was earlier than it has been previously and it meant that some of our usual players were not available. 

“But we are hoping to have a stronger squad this time and then we can build towards the end of the season. 

“The good thing is that we do have a good lead in the overall standings in terms of getting in the Final 4 teams (over Nottingham Casualties in fifth), so we still have a very good chance of making it. 

“If we do get in the top four then we will put up a good fight – we are not going to lay back and let teams have their own way.” 

Like all the the teams who are playing in the Sitting Grand Prix Series, Help for Heroes want to win and be competitive, but it is not the be all and end all. 

As a team that draws almost all of its number from former or serving military personnel, the club has a big part to play as a support network. 

Carolyne herself was a member of the Royal Logistic Corps, surviving tours of Iraq and Afghanistan but suffering a spinal injury during a judo competition in 2011.

She has also been affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has found being part of a strong team unit particularly rewarding.

“For us a team, it’s just great to get together and have a couple of beers and a chat, as well as getting out on court for the games,” she said. 

“If you do have a problem, then it’s a good environment where you can talk about it, as other people might have similar conditions, or have been in a similar situation, and can help. 

“It is a good group of people and I know that if anyone asked for help, then everyone else would try to help as best they can – and that has happened in the past. 

“So it is as much about what happens off the court as on it that matters. We have jokers in the group, of course, but we are there for each other when it matters.” 

One of Help for Heroes biggest obstacles this year has been meeting up to train. 

With players scattered across the country – from as far afield as Newcastle and Sailsbury – it has been difficult to pull everyone together on a consistent basis. 

“Out of season, we train monthly in a different part of the country so that it is fair to everyone, but apart from at the start of the season, we haven’t been able to train in the lead up to matches. 

“This year a lot of the Grand Prix dates have fallen on Saturdays, and in the past we have often trained on the Saturday and then played on the Sunday, which we haven’t been able to do this time. 

“But we do have players who train with other teams and we have never stood in the way of that because we all want to see the sport grow and players get better. 

“The good thing is that we have a decent pool of players to draw from because there are people coming through from the military who want to give it a go, and we have two or three new players who have started this year. 

“For most rounds of the Grand Prix we also have an A team and a B team, so there is lots of scope for development and the chance for people to see what it is all about.”

 

Carolyne’s interest in sitting volleyball started in 2013 when she was at Headley Court – which was then a rehabilitation centre for injured British Armed Forces – in the lead up to the inaugural Invictus Games held in London in 2024. 

She met HrH coach Charles Walker and has been playing for the team since 2016, later adopting her additional duties for the team. 

Carolyne said: “I have to say I was pathetic when I first started playing, but I loved the sport. 

“I had played rugby when I was in the military, so I like being in that team environment and one where anyone can play. 

“I’ve just managed to get better down the years from going to lots of training sessions, but I still wouldn’t class myself as a good player... I have made gradual progress. 

“The best thing for me is that it’s like a reunion. You come together for each Grand Prix and meet up with everyone and it’s a lot of fun.”

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Find out more about the Sitting Grand Prix Series by clicking here.

Fin d out how you can get involved in playing sitting volleyball by clicking here.