The Game Plan - quarter one updates (from April to June 2025)

GET. KEEP. GROW  

Connected and stronger Regions, Counties, Clubs and Stakeholders 

 

Achievements:

Support Club Networks through partnerships and resources  

• A club support plan has been developed to support surviving clubs, as identified in the Annual Club Survey. 

• Club affiliation and individual membership renewal opened in June. 

• Two drop-in sessions were organised for the clubs wanting to use VolleyZone to manage their memberships. 

• A Leadership and Governance workshop was held for affiliated clubs, attended by 11 club volunteers, ahead of AGM season. 

Building and strengthening the relationship with Universities, Colleges and Regions 

• The HEVO programme for 2024-25 was completed with 46 HEVOs reaching over 5,000 unique participants in running more than 75 mass participation sessions for nearly 3,500 people. A bigger focus on sitting volleyball resulted in 27 sitting volleyball sessions being delivered to over 450 participants. 

• The quarterly Community of Practice session for Regions and Counties focused on competition and membership management, showcasing Berkshire Volleyball Association’s experience using VolleyZone.  

Ensuring the volleyball community feels valued and engaged 

• The Annual Awards was delivered alongside Cup Finals after receiving 188 nominations across 12 categories, a 55% increase from last year. 

• Volunteer's Week was celebrated in June featuring volunteer stories and the launch of nominations for next year’s Annual Awards (2025-26). 

Coming up in Q2 (July, August and September):  

• HEVO Conference to be staged in September. 

• Launching the Annual Workshop Calendar for the 2025-26 season for affiliated clubs (in the Club Hub). 

 

VOLLEYBALL FOR LIFE (WORKFORCE)   

Building a diverse, inclusive and engaged volleyball workforce .

 

Achievements:  

 Pathway Management and Development   

• A Talent Developers’ Group has been set up to engage and support the coaches working with junior players. 

• 74 coaches successfully completing the new Volleyball England Safeguarding Children and Adults course. 

• The Assistant Coach Award course materials and resources have a new home on Volleyball England Learning.   

Make educational opportunities accessible to continue to improve the number of confident and competent referees    

• A total of 12 (four female, eight male) referees have been upgraded. Referees who were unsuccessful received feedback on areas for improvement. 

• The fourth in the series of Referee Development Webinars attracted 62 attendees. 

• The new Kukri referee kit has been launched ahead of the 2025-2026 season. 

• Seb Widlarz has been promoted from Group 3 to Group 3 plus of the European Volleyball Referees. 

Make educational opportunities accessible to continue to improve the number of confident and competent coaches   

• Tutor training held to orientate tutors to effectively deliver the new Assistant Coach Award course. 

• A total of 91 completed courses for as part of the Club Coach Award and the new Assistant Coach Award. 

• Volleyball England helped revise the CIMSPA Professional Standard for Coaches. 

  

Coming up in Q2 (July, August and September):  

• Pre-season briefings for referees – including rule changes - and coaches. 

• Grade 4 beach volleyball referee course. 

• The first in a series of Junior Player Development Clinics locally across England. 

• Professional development for the Beach Volleyball Development Centre coaches to be led by Beach Volleyball Performance Director Kirk Pitman. 

VOLLEYBALL FOR LIFE (TALENT)

Building a diverse, inclusive and engaged volleyball workforce and strong talent pathway.   

 

Achievements: 

Develop a robust Beach Volleyball Pathway to create athletes with podium potential  

• A total of eight men’s and five women’s teams competed and earned ranking points at the NEVZA Beach England tournament in Bridlington, with Gleed and Bello taking gold, and Bullen and Keefe winning bronze. 

• The inaugural Open Day for the new Beach Performance Programme took place at Birmingham City University, where would-be participants heard about the plans for the programme. 

Develop a robust Indoor Volleyball Pathway to create and select the Athletes with the highest Podium Potential

• Senior national team athletes were consulted (37 responses) on the current programmes to highlight areas of potential improvement. 

• Scoping has begun to establish four Talent Zones around the country, which would serve as a bridge between club and national team, to help drive a more inclusive Talent Pathway. 
  
  

Implement the New Talent Plan with its focus on the key areas of coach development, athlete support, and improved competition profile  

• Joel Brannigan from TASS presented a newly-developed S&C programme to members of the Juniors Coaches Group. 

• The first round of athlete cardiac screening with Juniors players who attended April camp were completed. Senior players to follow later in the year. 

• The National Teams area of the website has been updated to better serve the community’s needs. 

 

Coming up in Q2 (July, August and September):  

• The first ever Beach Futures camp being held at Sideout (Leyton) in July. 

• U18 and U20 players to compete for spots in the Euros at NEVZA Youth Beach Championships in Bridlington. 

• The U22 women (Slovakia) and U22 men (Italy) will be competing in Euro qualification for the first time at that age group. 

• The Senior Men (indoor) will travel to the Nordic Cup in August in Denmark. 

 

AN ACE SERVICE  

High quality domestic and international events. 

 

Achievements: 

Deliver the domestic major events focussing on player and spectator experience 

• The Cup Finals Weekend was hosted in Kettering, with 11 cup finals, a Back to the 80s heritage event, the Annual Awards 2025 and a sitting showcase. 

• Super League Final 4, supported by MAAREE and DYNAMIK, was staged at the Crystal Palace National Sport Centre, where attendances trebled from 2024. 

• The Inter Regional Championships was hosted in Kettering at the end of May involving 10 regions and 40 teams with the North West claiming the U15 Boys’ title and London taking the other three.

Maximise the impact of the talent strategy by hosting targeted international events 

• The NEVZA Beach Championships was hosted in Bridlington at the end of June, giving the opportunity for domestic teams to earn ranking points (Senior) or attempt to secure U18 and U20 Euros qualification (Youth). 

• In total the event provided international opportunities for 60 English players and eight English referees, as well as enabling 120 local young people and members to volunteer. 

Raise standards in the National Volleyball League 

• In total, 16 teams were successful in joining the 2025-26 NVL from a field of 36 applicants. 

• The NVL Self-Report has been analysed and feedback will be provided to all teams, with support provided. 
  
  

What's coming up: 

• Consulting on a five-year vision for Junior competitions.  

• Recruitment is open for two new members for the Competition Working Group (senior section). 

 

A RESPECTED AND VALUED NGB  

Achievements: 

• Player Community Group has met for the first time with the objective of raising the player voice. 

• The Annual Anti-doping Submission has been successfully accepted by UK Anti-doping. 

• The Annual Report 2024-25 was published. 

• Sport England end-of-year reporting submitted. 

Coming up in Q2 (July, August and September): 

• Hosting of Annual General Meeting on 19th July in Loughborough. 

• The annual renewal of insurance with Howdens to be completed. 

• The Volleyball England Hub Team will be working with Duncan and Toplis to complete the annual auditing of the company accounts. 

• The Annual Player Survey results to be shared.