Being selected to represent your country is a big honour, no matter what the age group or player's level of experience.

Here you will find information on key requirements - and things to bear in mind - that will help you as an athlete or parent, with regard to athlete selection.

 

Eligibility

Two of the key eligibility requirements to represent England are:

1. Be a UK citizen and hold a valid British passport.
2. Have England as your Federation of Origin.

The first is fairly straightforward. A valid British passport is required to register for international competitions. 

The second requires some explanation. FIVB regulations are updated periodically, so athletes and parents should always refer to the current regulations. 

Federation of Origin(FoO)/Citizenship

As per the FIVB Sports Regulations (here), a player’s Federation of Origin is:

The Federation which is the first to issue a national license for the player or otherwise register the player within its Federation in the season in which the player turns fourteen (14) years of age (or older if first registered after the age of fourteen (14)…

For someone who has lived and played in England their whole life, this is unlikely to be an issue. They will have their FoO set to England the moment they have a Volleyball England membership during or subsequent to the season they turn 14. Please note, however, that Volleyball England membership is the specific triggering event. Being registered with a Region or County is not sufficient.

Things are trickier for someone who did not first establish England as their FoO before playing in another country. If that participation did not involve a registration with that country’s Federation, then there’s no problem. The player can register with Volleyball England and set England as their FoO.

If that participation did involve registration with that country’s Federation, the player’s FoO will have been set and would need to be changed for them to be eligible to compete for England. 

Changing Federation of Origin

It is possible to change your FoO in some circumstances.

This is a FIVB process and normally involves a one off administrationfee to FIVB, and then potentially an annual international transfer solidarity fee in subsequent years if playing outside of England. 

Changing FoO is a FIVB process and will normally involve a one-off FIVB administration fee, although some exceptions do apply. Once England becomes the player's FoO, players who subsequently play club volleyball outside England may also be subject to the FIVB international transfer process and associated solidarity fees.

The process for doing so is outlined in Section 5 of the FIVB Sports Regulations.

The FIVB can sanction Federations quite severely if they field an ineligible player. As such, Volleyball England will need to be assured that a player’s FoO is properly set to England before they are considered for national programme inclusion.

Changing FoO through the normal process generally does not take effect immediately, FIVB can take a few months to two years to be fully approved.

Changing FoO can have significant implications for an athlete's national team eligibility and future international club transfers. The decision to apply for a change ultimately rests with the athlete, and athletes and parents should make sure they understand those implications before proceeding.

 

For players based in England

ENG U18 Squads

For athletes born in 2010/2011 or are younger.

Nominations must be made by an athlete's coach using this referral form. We do not accept direct player or parent referrals. It is important to note that we can only use the information that the coach supplies. 

Nominations are reviewed monthly, with athletes/parents contacted at the end of each review period.

ENG U20 Squads

For athletes born in 2008/2009.

The standard of athletes is very high, with most competing at a top club level. As a result, only exceptional athletes with strong potential will be considered.

Nominations must be made by an athlete's coach using this referral form. We do not accept direct player or parent referrals. It is important to note that we can only use the information that the coach supplies. 

For players based outside of England

If you are currently based outside England, but are eligible to play for England as outlined above (or want to work toward becoming eligible), please reach out to us at talent@volleyballengland.org.