Evans appointed as new Lead Doctor to strength Volleyball England's team

She will join Senior Medical Advisor Dane Vishnubala (the two are pictured above) and Project Lead for Sports Therapy Misa Kalinova in a three-strong team with the aim of implementing a clearer clinical governance model for athlete care.

Linda will take up her post with immediate effect and lead day-to-day medical care, as well as act as the main clinical contact for athletes, coaches and staff. 

It will help Volleyball England's drive to continue improvements in connecting its clinical system, with the focus on four main areas - event support, injury reporting and management, athlete assessment and care and education and research.                                                                       

"I've worked in a number of other sports, but I'm really excited to become involved in Volleyball," said Linda. "From what I have seen so far, the team at Volleyball England is committed to driving change and implementing improvements quickly and effectively. 

"It’s a forward-thinking and proactive organisation that has a clear focus on improving player health and wellbeing across all levels from the grassroots to the elite.

Leeds-based Linda is a GP by background specialising in Sports and Exercise Medicine, and is training to become a consultant. 

Her extensive experience in sport includes working with GB Basketball senior women at major international competitions, Team England at the Commonwealth Games, U18 teams for UK Athletics and at the UCI Cycling World Championships. 

She added: "My role will be varied and I look forwards to ensuring that medical standards are of the highest quality through policy development whilst supporting player health and optimising performance at the individual level.

"I will be supporting with the provision of medical services at events alongside Misa and working with Dane to ensure that medical care is of the highest standard for Volleyball England players. 

"Female athlete health is a real passion of mine and I'm very keen to increase awareness and education for the players and coaches and continue to support athletes all the way through from the junior to senior levels." 

Volleyball England's Chief Executive Charlie Ford believes Linda's appointment will improve athlete safety, provide clearer accountability and aid continuous learning. 

He said: "We are delighted to welcome someone of Linda’s expertise and experience to Volleyball England. 

"Her appointment represents another significant step forward in strengthening our Sports and Exercise Medicine provision and, importantly, the clinical governance that underpins the care and support we provide to our athletes. 

"Good clinical governance is about ensuring we have clear accountability, robust processes and the right expertise around the table to make informed decisions in the best interests of our athletes. Linda’s experience across both medicine and high-performance sport will be invaluable as we continue to develop those standards across Volleyball England. 

 "Linda will work closely with Dane and Misa as part of our growing multi-disciplinary team (MDT), bringing together specialists from different areas to provide coordinated support around athlete health, wellbeing and performance. 

"We will also shortly be welcoming a dedicated Lead Strength and Conditioning support into the MDT, further strengthening the expertise available to our athletes. 

"We are building a much more connected approach to athlete care and performance, with clear roles, responsibilities and clinical oversight, and I’m really excited about what this team can achieve together."