Big Bash and Awards Evening 2007
The third of Volleyball England’s National Volunteers Conference, The Big Bash, was held on the 28th April at Kettering Conference Centre, alongside it was this years Coaches Conference. Members took part in a range of workshops including ‘A Club for All’ and ‘Safe Guarding & Protecting Young People’ alongside Regional Leadership meetings and the Coaches Conference had on offer the Young Leaders Award as well as sessions with top coaches Jefferson Williams and Keith Trenam.
All the sessions were aimed at equipping clubs and coaches with skills and support for being better at whatever they do within the world of Volleyball. The workshops in particular were geared for clubs working towards or building on Volley 1-2-3 Club Accreditation. Those attending share some thoughts on what the day had to offer them:
“More of the same please, Keith Trenam and Jefferson Williams were excellent in the coaches conference.” Anonymous
“We are lucky to have this mixture of youth and dedicated veterans in the sport. What we saw today is the legacy which London 2012 talk about. Getting a few people into the top competitive bracket might be the easier of our problems!” Don Anthony
“I thought you guys did a great job sorting the day out and I had a fab time. Which if I’m honest I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did! I didn’t get home after the awards evening until 4am!!” Antonio Codrington
“The Awards Evening added to the day, it was great fun, especially the disco at the end- we only wish it went on for longer!” Anonymous
“Our club has attended all of the Big Bash conferences and each year more has been added to offer allowing our club to develop. This has included advice on funding applications, fundraising and promoting our club. Our young members attending get a lot out of the day too and ensure the continuation of our club for years to come.” Colin Roberts, Newcastle (Staffs) VC
“I found the workshops on Child Protection and A Club for All extremely useful, it opened my eyes to the issues we face as an inner city club to making sure we are open to all.” Anonymous
“Overall a very enjoyable and informative weekend.” Dave Hoile, Tower Hamlets Community Sports Coach
“I feel my coaching menu has been refreshed!” Anonymous
“The whole day left us buzzing and wanting to get back to our club straight away to put into practice what we’d picked up! It was great to meet others within the sport and share ideas.” Anonymous
“I hope people got as much out of the other strands as I did out of the coaching, it was excellent and it provided some great networking opportunities within our sport which was really positive.” John Biddiscombe, Guilford VC and Marketing Director for Volleyball England