Sitting Grand Prix 25-26 Round One preview - Phillips relishing coach focus

The 35-year-old knew precious little about sitting volleyball when he went along to an event where he could try out Paralympics sports at Uxbridge back in 2009. 

And while there were lots of pursuits he was able to test out, it was the high-tempo, three-touch team sport enjoyed around the world that captured his heart. 

Within a year, Justin was invited along to national squad training and won his first cap for Great Britain at the World Championships later that year. 

Well over a decade of service followed in the colours of red, white and blue – including the cherished memories of playing at the London 2012 Olympics – but eventually, as the double amputee got a little older, the lure of coaching became increasingly appealing. 

And, in May of this year, Phillips landed the role of British ParaVolley Women’s Head Coach, as part of a re-set for the programme.  

“When I first went along, I thought I would just give volleyball a go – I'd never played sitting in my life – but I quickly fell in love with it,” said Justin. 

“I was soon introduced to Matt Rogers, who was then heading up the GB programme, and things moved quickly from there. 

“I think it did come from having a bit of natural talent for it, even if it did take a few months to get used to playing. It helped that I don’t wear prosthetics at home, so I was used to moving around quite a lot on the floor, which is integral to the sport. 

“When I started out, I never thought I would ever become a coach, but because I was starting from scratch when I first took up the sport, I became a student of the game. 

“I’ve tried to take the best bits from all the coaches I have worked with, and when I got to a certain age, I thought ‘maybe I can give this a go’. 

“I’ve done a little bit of women’s coaching in a club competition in Bosnia and was GB Women’s Assistant Coach, but it was a great honour to be chosen for the role. It is a great honour to represent your country, but an even bigger one to coach it.” 

Having already started to work closely with the GB international women’s players, Justin has also taken on coaching duties of the Panthers Sitting Grand Prix team. 

Although his role now is predominantly a watching brief, after breaking his femur that kept him out for nine months, he has not ruled out cameo appearances off the bench. 

Panthers will be joined for Sunday’s first Grand Prix round in Loughborough by Sitting Bucks, Help for Heroes A and B, Nottingham Casualties, South Hants, Salisabury Spitfires and Lincoln Imps. 

It will, for the first time, see a similar format adopted to the Junior U18 Super Series, where teams’ subsequent opponents will depend on how they get on in each match.  

Phillips, who played for Salisbury last year when injuries allowed, said: “There are four or five of the GB Women internationals in the Panthers squad, so they already understand my coaching philosophy. 

“We are just looking to shock a few people. We may not have the brute strength and power of some of the male players, but we have some very good technical players and we can use that to our advantage.

“Sitting Bucks remain the team to beat. In Kevin Tann, Rob Richardson and John Munro, they have players with 250-plus caps between them who have masses of experience. 

“Steve Smith took on the running of the side a few years ago and has done a brilliant job. They are the Man City of our Grand Prix in many ways, having won it for the past three or four years. 

“I think the biggest strength is their on-court communication and decision-making and I’m looking to develop that in our team too. I’m also looking for the team to grow their confidence. 

“I will be with them all the way, even if I’m on the court, although I might make an appearance at some point – and then remember the next day why I don’t generally play anymore!”

On a broader level, Phillips is keen to help strengthen the standing of sitting volleyball in the UK and knows, to do that, the domestic infrastructure must be gradually strengthened too. 

He hopes that the number of teams who enter the Grand Prix circuit – and with it the player pool – can grow over the next few years. 

“We have a care group of teams, but having 12, 15, even 20 teams would really lift the whole standard and make it much more competitive,” said Justin. 

“We have to get out there as a sport and get it into people’s faces. Just getting people who play to tell people about it and asking them to tell other people as well. 

“We have to try to engage the universities, as I know work had already begun to do, existing standing volleyball clubs and schools because there are people in all those settings who could be playing the sport.”

GB image courtesy of ParaVolley Europe

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