The Game Plan - quarter three updates (from October to December 2025)

Regional Chairs met at Opening Weekend in Loughborough to discuss closer working. 

Volleyball England provided direct support for regional strategy and Hardship Fund guidance. 

Clubs were supported through an Inclusive Environment Workshop, as well as 1-1 Online Club Development sessions and Hardship fund guidance. 

Seven clubs are working to pilot the use of Globocol Club Portal to enable their Club Welfare Officers to store and track their safeguarding records. 

Seven judges from volleyball and the wider sporting community have been appointed to the Annual Awards 2026 Panel. 

A new Sitting Volleyball Newsletter was launched, attracting a 41% open rate. Click here. 

Domestic sitting volleyball players featured in a series of podcasts, video interviews and resources to highlight Disability History Month during November and December, themed Disability, Life and Death. Click here for an interview with Jason Finlay. 

Student leaders (HEVOs) helped to grow volleyball at their universities by reaching more than 3,700 unique participants through recreational sessions in the autumn term. 

Clubs were supported to build a better presence on VolleyZone and make greater use of the pool of resources available on the Club Hub. 

Clubs have shared their facility usage data to help understand the national picture in order to influence future local and national planning. 

Results of the 25-26 Club Survey. 

Regions and Counties Community of Practice. 

University Sitting Volleyball Tournament at UEL. 

Meeting with the Association of Colleges to explore closer working. 

Almost 750 affiliated members have joined Volleyball England Learning to support their development and training, of which nearly half people have successfully completed the Volleyball England Safeguarding Children and Adults course. 

There were a number of opportunities for Referees to continue to improve their knowledge, including: 

11 national referee tutors came together for training on the updated Grade 4 Referee course. 

The first National Referee Development Programme training event took place at Opening Weekend, exploring the use of the FIVB post-match debrief model to engage the full officiating team and encourage constructive peer feedback. 

A Quality Assurance review of the delivery of the Assistant Coach Award in prisons was carried out to maintain the programme’s standards. 

62 NVL Coaches attended pre-season rules of game and NVL regulations briefings. 

Launch of the Safeguarding for All Course. 

Publishing of Essential First Aid for Volleyball eLearning course 

Her Call sessions scheduled with guest speakers Dee Wauchope (World ParaVolley) and Helene Geldof (Internation referee from NED). 

The Bello brothers picked up a silver medal in the BPT Challenge event in Nuvali, Philippines in October. 

In November the pair became the first men’s pair to compete in World Championships, finishing 33rd. 

The England Team Standards have been launched setting clear expectations for training, competition, and conduct, defining what it means to represent England. 

Nine England athletes were successfully nominated for Backing the Best and two for SportsAid grant award programmes. 

The national team age group categories have been updated, with U17 squads moving to U18 and U19 squads transitioning to U20, mirroring CEV competitions. 

England’s U17 men took bronze at the NEVZA Championships in Denmark, while the U19 men won silver at the equivalent competition for their age group in the Faroe Islands. 

The National Team Staff finalised staff appointments for U18 women and men and U20 women and men. Click here. 

The Talent Pathway Handbook was published providing athletes with information, support and guidance during their time as an England athlete. 

Odin Paterson (U18 M), Amy Bean (U18 W), Josh Cosgrove (U20 M) and Esther Adesiyan (U20 W) have been appointed as England junior player representatives. 

Beach Selection and Eligibility Policy to be launched. 

2026 edition of the Beach Handbook to be published. 

The National Teams Beach Programme for 2026 to be announced. 

The England U18 women’s and men’s teams to participate at the Student Cup Finals in Norwich and Winter Cup in Italy. 

England hosted the first ever indoor Queen and King of the Court event in November, creating opportunities for Home Nations players, match officials and volunteers to gain experience at a senior international competition.    

A bid was submitted to CEV to host a Beach Pro Tour Futures event in Bridlington in June alongside Senior NEVZA U18 and U20 events, potentially creating a two-week period with four international beach competitions.
  

The Competition Working Group have evolved and launched the New Team Application Process for the 2026-27 NVL Season, adding weight to match-day standards and regional/county association advocacy.  

Alex Porter (previous Essex Rebels Head of Volleyball) has been appointed into the Competitions Working Group to spearhead the professionalism of the Super League. The key objectives focus around uniting the teams as stakeholders and creating a set of Super League Standards to drive the vision of professionalising the Super League. 

Super League Opening Weekend was the first major domestic event hosted at Loughborough University since the partnership was established. The event attendance trebled in size from 2024 and broadcast viewership grew by 23%.  

Super Six events (formerly Last 8) for the Junior Grand Prix Series.   

Student Cup Finals in Norwich.  

Jana Flaherty and Ella Watson, from the Player Community Group, met with the Board to explore how lived experiences of players and player voice can be embedded within the governance and decision making structures. 

Sub-Groups, Working Groups and Hub staff have been preparing objectives and activities for the 2026-27 Operational Plan.  

Volleyball England maintained the MET status with the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), the highest grade awarded to Sport England system partners. 

Board member Ali Shipway and CEO Charlie Ford represented Volleyball England at the CEV Congress in Paris.  

A mental health and wellbeing partnership with app providers Shoorah has been established, with Senior Talent players having free access to its services. 

Fireball has become the official partner of the U15 Junior Grand Prix series. 

Budgets will be finalised and activity for the 2026-27 Operational Plan confirmed.  

Player Community Group website page to be published. 

NEVZA Technical meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland.