Creating inclusive playing environments

We continue to make headway in our mission to be inclusive and develop volleyball as a sport which provides opportunities for all.

As part of Our Time to Shine legacy plans following the Commonwealth Games, we worked hard to secure funding from Sport England with the purpose of creating a more inclusive culture. This aligns with Sport England’s ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy to tackle inequalities and ensure LGBTQ+ people are given as many opportunities and as much support to get active as people with other protected characteristics.

Working with a cohort of clubs from around the country, we’ve started collecting valuable insights from the community – a first in our sport – gaining enough knowledge to then develop tailored tools and resources to create positive environments for LGBTQ+ players at all clubs.

Statistics around LGBTQ+ participation in sport make for sobering reading. Did you know that 80% of people have witnessed or experienced homophobic behaviour in sport? That nearly 90% of LGBTQ+ people believe homophobia and transphobia remain current problems in sport? And that 73% of people believe it is not safe for LGBTQ+ people to come out to others in youth sport environments?

When it comes to health, the picture remains as concerning. 55% of LGBTQ+ men are not active enough to maintain good health, compared to 33% of men in the general population. 56% of LGBTQ+ women are not active enough to maintain good health, compared to 45% of women in the general population. And 64% of LGBTQ+ people who identified as non-binary are not active enough to maintain good health.

This work is being overseen by Jake Sheaf, our Birmingham 2022 Legacy Consultant, and the LGBTQ+ project is being managed by the Volleyball England Foundation and their delivery partner The Good Trouble Collective. The six clubs participating in the initial project are Nottingham Rockets, Inter Volleyball, Ashcombe, Bristol Spikers, Tettenhall Tigers and the London Bears. 

Bryan Gladwin, from Nottingham Rockets, said: “I’m delighted the club has got behind this initiative. We pride ourselves on providing a safe and friendly environment for all our players, especially younger ones, and are committed to ensuring this is understood and accepted by all.” 

Ivan Moreno, from Inter Volleyball, added: “As a London-based club, we already have a very diverse player base and a strong ethos of providing a respectful and positive training environment so we feel we’re well placed to contribute to this work, as well as learn from it.”

Joëlle Watkins, project lead at Volleyball England Foundation, said: “This transformational project will support our clubs, providing them with the tools to grow and retain players by reducing inequalities and removing barriers into volleyball. I’m thankful for Volleyball England for championing this critical piece of work.”

Photo: Steve Smith.