Heritage Project

The heritage project was established in the early part of 2024 and initially saw a number of people interested in helping with it meet at Cup Finals weekend in April. 

A smaller core project group was subsequently established to define its scope and to drive things forward from the period 2024 to 2028. 

As part of Volleyball England’s vision to be ‘an organisation that creates a deep-rooted sense of belonging for everyone within our community’ it aims to ensure that the present and future of the sport is connected to the past. 

Ultimately, it is hoped that the project will culminate in the creation of a digital/physical archive and heritage assets that can be being used across volleyball’s communities to help cultivate the desired sense of ‘belonging’.

Charlie Ford and George Bulman


‘Understanding where you’ve been to know where you could go’ 

“When I started in post, I was fortunate to spend time with Barbara Totterdell, who provided me with a potted history of the sport from 1955, when Dr Don Anthony, created the association all the way up to the modern day," said CEO Charlie Ford.  

“I have long since believed that you must understand where you have been to know where you could go which highlights clearly the importance of a project like this and I am genuinely excited about the project’s potential to emotionally connect the sport at all levels.” 

The four overarching project themes 

  • To showcase and expose the history of the sport though a collection of digital and physical assets accessible and promoted to everyone in the Volleyball community. 
  • Through a suite of campaigns and communications, bring to life the plotted history of the sport by connecting present day endeavours to past achievements and learnings. 
  • To increase engagement levels across the Volleyball community through reconnecting with people and organisations that once played a vital role in the sport (including former CEO George Bulman, pictured above, with current CEO Charlie Ford) and who through a suite of engagement activities and services would stay involved in the sport. 
  • To ensure that the strategic direction of Volleyball England is connected to, benefits from lessons learnt and is able to progressively enhance all formats of the sport into the future. 

Heritage Project core group

Volleyball England would like to thank members of the core group, Geoff Allen, Ian Cooper, Ron Richards and Simone Turner, for their valued and ongoing input into the project.

If you have any items or publications you wish to donate to the heritage group, want to get more involved or have any suggestions, please email info@volleyballengland.org.

70th anniversary celebrations

As of 28th May - the date the first meeting of the Volleyball Assoication of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was held - Volleyball England will begin celebrating 70 years of its existence.

Watch out for articles, content and events to mark the landmark as the 12-month period unfolds.

 
Don Anthony Trophy

 

Progress made against each theme to date 

  • A Volleyball England History Facebook Page established, with almost 1,000 followers to date.
  • The naming of the overall Five Nations Championships trophy as the Dr Don Anthony Trophy.
  • A meeting with Leeds City Museums/Sporting Heritage to frame the approach we will take from an asset collection perspective.
  • The cataloguing of Volleyball England archive materials.
  • Collaboration with the Volleyball England Foundation on 70th anniversary events in 2025.
  • The production of a Heritage Podcast – in collaboration with Luke Wiltshire, host of the That Volleyball Guy podcast – with people of interest identified and grouped accordingly
  • The setting up of a Masters Volleyball partnership – widening opportunities to reconnect with the sport
  • The holding of initial conversations with West Midlands partners in relation to resurrecting historic tournaments
  • Telling the story of the sport by the use of the #Inclusivebydesign hashtag by existing and new partners.