Super League Errea Team of the Month and Player of the Month launched

It is part of the bid to step up coverage and raise the profile of the English volleyball’s top flight for the 2023-24 season. 

A team of seven female players and seven male players will be selected after the completion of matches in each calendar month. 

For each team, a setter, two middles, two outside, an opposite and a libero will be chosen using players’ stats from the HUDL analysis tool. 

From those two teams, a female and male Player of the Month will chosen by a three-strong panel and the two winners will be awarded with a prize from Volleyball England’s official apparel supplier, Errea. 

“With HUDL now providing a host of player stats from each round of Super League action, we believe the Super League Errea Team and Player of the Month will provide an added level of interest to this season’s competitions,” said Rob Payne, Volleyball England’s Strategic Manager (An Ace Service). 

“While no system for selecting players for the Team of the Month can be absolutely perfect, taking a stats-based approach intends to make it as fair as possible and take into account a player’s performance over an extended period. 

“For the Player of the Month, as the stats for players in different positions would not be comparing like with like, it was felt a panel made up of knowledgeable figures from within the game would be the best way to make a final selection.”  

The Player of the Month panel will be made up of current England Senior Men’s coach, former Scotland player and now FIVB tutor Simon Loftus, former England Junior Women assistant coach and former England player Alex Smith and Volleyball England Strategic Manager (Talent) and former coach at all three levels of the USA’s NCAA Championship, John Forman.  

Teams and Players of the Month will be announced in the middle of the month following on from the previous month of completed games and announced on the Volleyball England website and social media. 

Note that the awards will be made from October 2023 through to March 2024. No award will be made in April as only one round of matches is scheduled. 

Essential criteria for consideration 

Players can only be considered if a full HUDL analysis is completed, which is undertaken once clubs have uploaded live streams of their matches. Home clubs are reminded that it is a Super League regulation for 2023-24 to upload a live stream of each match within 24 hours of a match finishing. 

Players need to have a specific position allocated on HUDL. 

Keep up to date 

You can find the latest Team of the Month and Player of the Month announcements on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.