Sitting Grand Prix 3 preview: Why winning is not everything for Sitting Bucks

But while there is a clear and unstinting desire to make it three national titles in a row during the 2023-24 season, there is so much more to the ethos of the club than that.  

Founded by Volleyball referee Steve Smith in 2018, the club has competition at its very heart. Players want to be challenged and they want to be the best. 

Yet, as is so often the case across the Sitting Volleyball fraternity, just as strong is the sense of community, helping each other and making lifelong friends. 

“People wanted to play sitting volleyball in the area and there wasn’t a team for them to play for,” said Smith. “I thought it would be a good way to have more matches to referee and to have more sitting clubs. 

“We started renting a badminton court and grew from there. We moved to MK a couple of years ago and since then we have gone from strength to strength, gradually getting things going. 

“I do a bit of everything. I coach at training sessions, I still referee some of the Grand Prix and I play as well. 

“I have enjoyed it massively. I have met a new group of friends through the sport that I had never met before. 

“It’s a very inclusive sport where you get players who are disabled and non-disabled as well as coaches and other volunteers who all come together. 

“For those who have disabilities, they leave them at the side of the court, they disappear, and you see just how valuable and amazing it is as a community sport. 

“Most of the players who have a go enjoy it and keep coming back. Bringing Sitting Bucks into our local community was a no-brainer.” 

Bucks’ double title success has been based on pulling together a strong core of GB players, some of who played in the recent World Cup in Cairo, Egypt.

But they also have ambitions to develop young talent to supplement the existing experience already within their ranks. 

Smith, a vet by day, added: “The team has four GB players so we aim to provide regular training at club level for them. 

“We know we can’t expect our players to go and compete internationally if they are not getting opportunities here, week in, week out. 

“We want to grow grass roots players at the club, as well as help GB... it isn’t only our aim to win three in a row. 

After a testing start to their new season where they were beaten in straight sets by Salisbury Spitfires in the opening GP of the campaign, the Bucks, who have been supportively sponsored by Agria Pet Insurance, have hit back strongly. 

They won all four matches to win the tier 1 section of the second Grand Prix and show that they are set to once again be a force to be reckoned with. 

“We retained the title last year and the route to the final was more challenging and we only finished top in around half of the Grand Prix,” said Smith. 

“We played against some big teams and some big hitters, but what we showed was team cohesion and the ability to adapt. 

“We know we are going to be pushed and tested again this season. The challenge for us is always to try to stay one step ahead of the opposition as they keep improving.” 

Pics by Phil Gibbin Photography

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