Callicott hopes for GB Olympics return as he steps down from BVF role

The former two-term President and now Honorary President of Volleyball England chaired his last meeting in May – the organisation’s AGM.

During his tenure, Callicott helped ensure that, as host nation, GB was represented across all three volleyball disciplines of beach, sitting and indoor at the London 2012 Olympics.

Since then, he has lobbied hard, with some success, for the reintroduction of funding that was cut by UK Sport after those Games.

“I have always enjoyed the role and though I will now be stepping back, I will be watching with interest and will always be on hand to offer advice and guidance, should my successor need it,” said Callicott.

“I have played most sports over the years, at one point almost becoming a professional cricketer and at another forming a rugby club, but the thing with volleyball is that it has absolutely everything.

“You have to have technique and skill, as well as stamina and some gymnastic ability when you are diving around on the floor. Alongside that, anyone can play at any age and get enjoyment out of the game, regardless of ability.

“I always dreamed of seeing a British teams in the Olympics and we saw that across all three disciplines in 2012 after fighting hard to make sure that happened.

“What I would love to see in the future is for that to happen again… for our top players to be playing in World Championships and Olympic Games, whether that’s Paris (2024), LA (2028) or Brisbane (2032).

“It is going to be harder for indoor than it is for beach and sitting, because the standard to qualify from the European teams is so high, but we have some very good young players coming through, particularly in beach, who can go on to even better things, inspire future generations of players and hopefully help secure more funding too.”

Callicott was first introduced to by Ray Carman, the then Officials Secretary of the British Volleyball Association, at the City of Birmingham College of Education.

After passing a short refereeing exam in 1967, he went on to establish Warley Teachers, which then became Warley Phoenix and Haden Hill, and later renamed West Bromwich.

In 1969, Richard founded the Sandwell Volleyball Tournament, which at its peak, grew to become one of the largest in Europe with over 420 teams.

It went on to win the International Olympic Committee’s ‘Sport for All’ award and was even acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s biggest volleyball tournament.

Callicott was honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2012 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to volleyball.

He added: “In addition to London 2012, my two other favourite moments in the sport were getting the Sandwell Volleyball Tournament established – and it earning a place in the Guinness Book of

Records – and then, more recently, getting beach volleyball into the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“To do it in what is now my home city was particularly special and to see Javier and Joaquin (Bello) take the bronze medal for England as they did was just phenomenal.”

Callicott used his work for British Paralympic Association (BPA), National Indoor Arena of Sport and other organisations to bring highly-valued insight and knowledge to his BVF role.

He has also continued to carry out numerous board and commission roles for the like of the Commonwealth Federations, WPV ethics committee, Sporting Equals, Black Country Active and Youth Charter for Sport.

“There has always been a strong relationship between the BVF and Vollleyball England, as the largest of the home nations with the most players and that is particularly strong at the moment as we try to cement the way forward for beach and sitting volleyball,” said Callicott.

“Indoor is more complex and there is work to do, but there are some good people in place who have a desire to improve things.”