Video and new Facebook history page mark CEV's #1DayMoreForVolleyball

The CEV campaign happens once every four years on the leap year day of 29th February and aims to unite people from across Europe in their common love of Volleyball, underlining that it can be played by anyone, anytime, anywhere. 

The 32-second Together Through Volleyball reel is Volleyball England’s unique take on how the sport has developed in the country since the foundation of the national governing body by Dr Don Anthony MBE in 1955. 

It demonstrates how the disciplines of Indoor, Sitting and Beach continue to develop – and that a common theme is an ongoing desire to be welcoming to all. 

The video features the very different voices of four staff members, reflecting the diversity the organisation is striving to achieve across its workforce, from hub team and volunteers to coaches and officials. 

They read a poem specially penned for the film that tells the story of Volleyball England’s journey so far, with the words also shown in subtitles to maximise accessibility. 

You can watch the video on Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.

In addition, Volleyball England has also chosen the #1DayMore4Volleyball occasion to launch a new Facebook history page that will help connect the present and future of the sport with its past. 

The public group is the first step in the organisation’s bid to ensure that its history and heritage is preserved for generations to come. 

People from Volleyball England’s communities are invited to follow the page, which you can view by clicking here, and also post content - pictures, memorabilia, press cuttings, social media posts or videos - that may be of interest to others. 

Although the group will be predominantly based around Volleyball played in England, input is also welcome from across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too. 

“Volleyball England’s vision is to be ‘an organisation that creates a deep-rooted sense of belonging for everyone within our community’ and therefore to achieve this, we need to ensure that we can connect the present and future of the sport to the past,” said Volleyball England’s Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Ford. 

“I have long believed that you must first understand the path previously trodden to truly understand and appreciate the journey that you are on. 

“The time has come for us to embark on a deep dive project into the sport’s history to ensure that not stories are immortalised, easily accessible and known across the Volleyball community. 

“The launching of the Volleyball England History Facebook page is a chance for everyone to share their memories and provoke conversation and we welcome input from across the British Volleyball communities. 

Following on from the Facebook page, several Volleyball historians are looking to group their resources and expertise to work alongside Volleyball England on a wider heritage project 

The overall aim is to establish a digital and physical archive that can be regularly added to over time. 

One of those contributing is International Match Archivist Ian Cooper, who said: “As Volleyball in England approaches its 70th Anniversary, and as time takes its toll on those who have given many years of service to our sport, it becomes even more important to preserve our sport’s history and heritage. 

“We have a good archive of international match results and player caps for the six-a-side game stretching back to 1962 (Men) and 1968 (Women). Paper records and memories both fade with age, but online records are far more durable. 

“I am very pleased that Volleyball England has started to create a meaningful history of our sport by launching a Volleyball history Facebook page, which will be part of a wider project that captures all aspects of the history of our sport. 

“I hope that the project will be well supported across all sectors and build to an excellent accessible record of Volleyball’s history in this country.”