Goodbye to the NVC - a 16-year timeline

Detailed here are a selection of the major happenings during that timeline across sitting, beach and indoor volleyball, both senior and junior.  

November 2009 – The National Volleyball Centre is opened by Cllr James Hakewill, the leader of Kettering Borough Council, and Maria Bertelli, who was then GB captain. 

July 2011 – Sand is delivered from the Olympic test event held at Horse Guards Parade to facilitate the opening of the site’s beach courts that are used for national team training camps. 

2011 – The centre hosts sitting volleyball’s Continental Cup, a test event for the London 2012 Paralympics, bringing together some of the sport’s strongest nations in the world, including GB, Brazil, Russia, Canada and the USA. 

2013 – Kettering hosts its first Junior NEVZA competition (U17) and goes on to stage the competition for the next three years. 

2016 – Following on from the U17 events, Junior NEVZA U19 events are staged in Northamptonshire between 2016 and 2018. 

2019 – Legendary Olympic and multiple World Championship gold medal winner Giba attends an England Talent camp after being invited by current Volleyball England Performance Beach Coach Luis Bello.

March 2020 – events at the NVC are suspended, along with those around the rest of the country, because of the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

May 2021 – The NVC hosts its first volleyball event following the return to play after Covid-19... U15 National Championships Finals Day.  

August 2023 – Volleyball England signs a contract to stay at the NVC for two more years after the venue’s future was secured following earlier doubts it would cease operating. 

October 2023 – The first Opening Weekend event is staged, bringing together every Super League team to play under one roof across the weekend. 

April 2024 – The Super League Final 4 event is held for the first time, with Durham Palatinates the inaugural winners of both the women’s and men’s trophies. 

September 2024 – The NVC hosts the UK Volleyball Coaching Symposium, with US coaching icon Jim Stone acting as the keynote speaker.

January 2025 – The Five Nations tournament sees national senior teams form, the home nations do battle, with England (men) and Scotland (women) the victors. 

July 2025 – Volleyball England announces its intention to leave the NVC and move indoor operations to Loughborough University.

August 2025 – The NVC hosts the final England Talent Camp before Volleyball England moves to Loughborough.

Check out people's memories of Volleyball England’s time in Kettering by clicking here.