England's U20 teams fight for NEVZA European Championship spot in Finland

The teams are travelling to host town Rovaniemi - situated directly on the Arctic Circle - to compete with the likes of host nation Finland, who will be backed up by a Nordic trifecta of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The teams will be staying in Santasport - a place where teams eat, sleep and play under one roof. Local event organiser Jukka Mäkihannu says “Everything is close by, and accessibility has improved with the growth of tourism. Rovaniemi is a small, big sports city”.

Men’s Head Coach, Sam Shenton, is keen to ensure the team braves the cold and aims to go all the way.

”Heading into the upcoming NEVZA competition, we faced some challenges with travel and preparation, but the players have worked incredibly hard to access the highest level of training possible outside of national team camps.

“The facilities at Loughborough have been hugely beneficial in raising the professionalism of our training environment and building togetherness within the squad,” he said.

Their training has extended beyond the confines of the East Midlands, with some players benefitting from international training.

“Several of the players have also moved to America or joined universities across the UK, where they are now benefiting from more consistent, full-time training programmes. 

“We’re hoping this additional exposure and development will give us a real advantage heading into the tournament.” said Sam.

“We’re looking forward to returning to Lapland, showcasing a strong brand of volleyball and pushing ourselves to the highest possible level as we aim to qualify for the European Championships.”

Darren Lewis, Women’s Head Coach sees the tournament as an opportunity to further develop the squad and give them important international game time.

“We’re really looking forward to competing in Finland. The team has been set realistic goals and the opportunity to play in the European Championships is always special. 

“The squad has lots of capabilities and we look forward to them following and delivering on a game plan.” he said.

However, the aim is still to fight at the top end of the tournament and use their skills to the best of their advantage.

“The level will be exceptionally high and I know our girls will rise to the occasion and hopefully compete for medals.” said Darren.

The action will get underway from Friday 09:00 EEST (07:00 BST) and the medal matches will take place on Sunday - the winner of the gold medal match securing qualification to the European Championships.

You can keep up to date with the team’s results on the Volleyball England social channels.

Good luck to the teams!