Meet your remaining Annual Awards 2024 judges...

Volleyball England can now introduce the second set of three judges that will make up the panel of six to select the Annual Awards 2024 winners.

Volleyball England can now introduce the second set of three judges that will make up the panel of six to select the Annual Awards 2024 winners. 

Nominations remain open until Sunday 10th March (see below), after which the judging panel – drawn from across the Volleyball and sports community – will meet to draw up a three-person shortlist for each of the 12 categories in which nominations are being received.   

Those shortlists will be announced towards the end of March or in early April before the presentation ceremony takes place on the Saturday (20th April) of Cup Finals Weekend at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering.    

 All those shortlisted across the award categories will be invited along to the ceremony, where the winners will then be revealed.  

 To view the other three judges, click here. 

Grace Lazard 

Grace is one of the star performers for MAAREE Women’s Super League team Malory Eagles and has been extensively involved with volleyball at some of the highest levels in the sport. 

“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of every victory, the soul of true sportsmanship!” she said. 

Lee Barnett 

Lee is a highly-regarded Volleyball coach at Northampton, who won the Coach of the Year award last year for greatly contributing to widening the sport’s reach and raising its profile. He has also made a massive impact on his players by developing teamwork and being an empathic coach. 

“The Annual Awards are an important part of the season where we get the opportunity to recognise a number of volunteers that work relentlessly on and off the court,” he said. 

“Volunteers do not give their time to gain recognition, they all have their own reasons for contributing towards this sport, so even if these volunteers don't get recognition for all their time and commitment, they deserve a thank you at the very least.”

Phil French  

Phil is an Independent Director on the Volleyball England Board of Directors. 

“Volunteering is the lifeblood of our sport... without it, Volleyball would simply not happen,” he said. “They are the unsung heroes of the sport, which is why it is so important to recognise and value their vital contribution. 

“I see this week in and week out while coaching and playing at my local club. As such, I am really looking forward to being on the Volleyball England judging panel and to see for myself the individual stories and the impact people make on their club and on the sport in general. 

“It also gives us the chance to say a huge thank you for the time, hard work and dedication volunteers put into the sport at every level.”

Still time to nominate...  

 You can still nominate in one of 12 different categories detailed below:    

• Coach of the Year for Adults   
• Coach of the Year for Children and Young People   
• Young Coach of the Year   
• Referee of the Year   
• Young Referee of the Year   
• Volunteer of the Year   
• Young Volunteer of the Year   
• HEVO of the Year    
• Universal Services Club of the Year   
• Contribution to Volleyball   
• Serena Morten Inclusion Award   
• Unsung Hero.   

To read more about the award categories and criteria that can help you to decide in which category to nominate a person, click here.    

 To nominate, click here.