10 volleyball athletes receive Backing the Best awards for 2026 

Each recipient is either on the England Talent Pathway (indoor and beach volleyball) or GB Talent Pathway (sitting volleyball), with the awards coming into effect from the new financial year on 1st April 2026. 

Backing The Best supports athletes who would face difficulties progressing through their sport’s talent development system without critical financial help. 

Volleyball athletes have received an award of between £3,000 and £5,000 and will also have the chance to attend a workshop where they will be given expert advice on performance lifestyle management, nutrition, sports psychology and telling their story through the media. 

Parents also have their own specially adapted sessions focusing on these areas as well as a discussion on growing relationships with prospective sponsors.   

Launched in 2016, the programme’s alumni returned a haul of 13 medals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with six golds, four silvers and three bronzes, underlining its importance. 

Backing The Best-supported volleyball athletes in 2006 

Aedrin Jayatilake
Daniella Tchandeu
Emmanuel Oretoye 
James Cox 
Jasper Paulini-Torrance
Krystina Ngatcha 
Lewis Bunton 
Luca Robinson 
Maksymilian Makowski 
Stuart Perry 

Applying for 2027 

Applications for the 2027 funding round for Talent pathway athletes will open in November 2026, with details circulated at that time. 

More information on the Backing the Best programme can be found here.