Thompson and Brehaut appointed to senior World ParaVolley roles

Greg Thompson will become the Head of Refereeing Commission (Standing) and Head of Rules of the Game Commission (Standing), while Jeff Brehaut will become the Head of Event Management Commission (Standing).

The fourth position, Head of Technical Commission (Standing), will be occupied by Australia's Baz Wedmaier.

They will report into the WPV Assistant Sport Director with overall responsibility for WPV Standing Volleyball, David Cox of Norway.

Their appointments will see them oversee the two sitting disciplines of beach ParaVolley standing and indoor volleyball standing.

"I'm honoured to have been appointed Head of Refereeing and Head of Rules of the Game Commissions when the two very much go hand-in-glove with each other," said Greg. 

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the continued development of Beach ParaVolley (Standing) and with the Beach ParaVolley World Championships in May 2027 on the horizon. 

"I aim to use my experience to help grow the sport, raise its international profile and support its ambitions for the future."  

Jeff added: "I am very excited to be appointed to the Role of Head of Events (ParaVolley Standing). This appointment is mainly focused on Beach ParaVolley Standing, and I hope to be able to use my experience to grow this area of the sport.  

"With an application made to include this in Brisbane 2032 Paralympics, we need to grow the sport and demonstrate it has a fantastic appeal and is a sport for inclusion.  

"WPV has placed its focus on Sitting (Indoor) and Beach Paravolley (Standing) and are driving this forward.  

"The challenge it to ensure that all Zones and Federations support this and put their own plans in place to spread the sport more widely and help to get us to a positive outcome for 2032. I'm Looking forward to the challenge and bringing this sport more visibility worldwide." 

Volleyball England Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Ford, said he was delighted to see two highly-respected England officials take on key roles on the world stage. 

“Firstly, I want to offer my huge congratulations to both Greg and Jeff on these thoroughly deserved appointments," He said. "Both have made significant contributions to our sport over many years, and it is fantastic to see their knowledge, experience and commitment recognised on the international stage. 

 "Their appointments also reflect something much wider – and that is England’s growing presence, influence and standing within the international volleyball community. 

"We are increasingly seeing English athletes, coaches, officials and leaders making their mark internationally, and that is something we should be incredibly proud of. 

"For me, this is not simply about representation, but about the opportunity to influence, shape and contribute to the future direction of our sport globally. I have no doubt that Greg and Jeff will do exactly that, and we wish them every success in their new roles.”

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