 The Ireland U16 Womens Team are holding trials shortly. The Elite Squad is being expanded in preparation for a Tournament in Italy at the end of June 2019.
Trials are open to players born after 1st of January 2004. An Elite Squad of approximately 20 players will be picked and from this 12-14 players will be chosen for the tournament which will me held in Sardinia from June 27th to June 30th. The trials are open to players that comply with the below criteria:
Players will be assessed by the International Team coaching staff and must be able to commit to the training schedule below to prepare for the Tournament.
These Training sessions will be help at a number of venues across the country. In order to attend the trials every player has to be registered. Please provide us via email her Name and Surname and a bit of her volleyball background. Trials are open exclusively to players with an Irish passport. Please Reply to juniorladies@volleyballireland.com for further information and to register your interest as we will need to have an idea of numbers attending. Volleyball Ireland welcomes the announcement from Sport Ireland of additional investment in National Governing Bodies of Sport.
The significant funding increase includes an additional €15,000 in core grant for the association. The 2019 programme brings the total core grant for Volleyball Ireland to €200,000. The additional monies will be used to achieve key objectives set out in our operational plans and the new strategy Raising the Game. Chairman of Sport Ireland Kieran Mulvey, commented: “It is vital that our NGBs and LSPs are well supported and the increase in funding this year means our funded bodies are well equipped to meet their objectives.” As well as the Core Grant Volleyball Ireland will receive over €53,000 from the Dormant Accounts fund to employ an Aspire Graduate and develop a range of inclusion programmes. General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart said, “Our 15k increase will make a significant impact to our programmes and it shows the trust Sport Ireland have in Volleyball and the potential they see for sport. This and the Dormant Accounts funding will help us drive forward the strategic plan and deliver our vision for members.” The Sports investment package will see a 8.46million go to High Performance Programmes with over 1.9million direct to Ireland’s top athletes, with the likes of Thomas Barr (Athletics) and Kellie Harrington (Boxing) receiving the maximum carded funding of €40,000. Speaking at the launch, Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Brendan Griffin TD, added: “The funding announced today will assist in furthering Ireland’s ambitions at the highest level on the International Stage.” As well as the Core Grant Volleyball Ireland will receive over €53,000 from the Dormant Accounts fund to employ an Aspire Graduate and develop a range of inclusion programmes. Volleyball Ireland would like to thank Minister Griffin, Minister Ross, the Department and Sport Ireland for their continued support of Volleyball in this country. A full breakdown of funding can be found at https://www.sportireland.ie/Media/ Breaking News: The Confederation of European Volleyball (CEV) have announced the draw for stage 1 of the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup. Visiting Ireland in June will be Estonia, Denmark and Slovakia in the Women's section. Whilst in the Men's draw Bettystown Beach will be hosting Lithuania, Scotland and Ukraine. Commenting on the draw, President of Volleyball Ireland Beach Commission Miriam Gormally said, "It's a great draw with some really exciting teams visiting Ireland. We look forward to welcoming the players and their supporters in June." The competition format remains the same as in the previous editions as each country will be represented by two teams per gender and the match results will be counted ‘country vs. country’ instead of ‘team vs. team’. All pools of four will follow the double-elimination competition formula, while the pools consisting of three teams will play each other. After this first stage of the competition, the second round will follow in May 2020 with the Finals scheduled for 22-28 June, 2020 in the Netherlands. Ballymun Patriots Volleyball Club are taking part in the Volleyball Ireland & CEV Schools Project.
The club have been working with Trinity Comprehensive School and St Mary’s of Glasnevin to establish a school – club link. Patriots Secretary and qualified coach Grainne Culliton joined Volleyball Ireland development officer Norma McIntyre to kick start the programme. The project will see teachers and coaches complete an education programme before delivering sessions to pupils in both the school and club setting. The aim is to transfer participants into regular club training. Grainne added, “It was great to get out into the schools and promote the club. There is plenty of natural skills and hopefully by having a formal link we can filter some new players into the club as we look to establish our youth section.” If any other clubs or schools are interested in taking part please get in touch with info@volleyballireland.com Volleyball Ireland welcomes the announcement that Dublin City Council have been successful in attaining a grant of €64,900 from the DTTS Sports Capital Grant Programme.
The windfall will kick start the development of an Inland Beach Volleyball Court facility in Clontarf which will see a range of programmes, competitions and events to grow participation and provide an excellent training facility for our athletes. The teams for the 2018/19 Association Cup Quarter Finals have been confirmed.
The games are due to be played 9th and 10th of February. Women CupQF1 - 09/10 Feb - Gardians Patatas vs DVC Lions CupQF2 - 09/10 Feb - Galway VC vs Naas Cobras CupQF3 - 09/10 Feb - TCDv s Santry D1W CupQF4 - 10/02/2019 - Dalkey Devils vs Santry PW Men CupQF1 - 9/10 Feb - DVC Bravo vs Santry Eagles CupQF2 9/10 Feb - Tallaght Rockets vs Aer Lingus PM CupQF3 - 9/10 Feb - TCD vs Galway VC CupQF4 - 9/10 Feb - IT Carlow vs UCD And we start 2019 just the same as 2018 finished.
Same two schools battling it out for national glory. This time not seniors but 1st years and with the games on display today at St Brigid's College, Loughrea it looks like we are in for a cracking 6 years ahead. 10 teams qualified for the Midi Volleyball National Final from Connaght, Munster and Leinster. From the Regionals the schools that progressed were Presentation Kilkenny x2, St Brigid's College, St Raphaels College, Sacred Heart Westport, Drumshanbo VC, Sutton Park, Colaiste Muire x2 and Rockford Manor. The quarter finals saw both kilkenny teams along with Drumshanbo and Sacred Heart drop out. It was once again the all Loughrea semi final between Brigids and Raphaels. In the other semi Colaiste Muire had both teams competing against each other. The final which was similar to our Senior Girl A Final just last month saw Colaiste come back from a set down to take the decider 15 -11 and win the match 2-1 against a well drilled Raphaels. A super game which saw both teams play the kind of volleyball seniors would be proud of at this early stage of their development. MVP Number 8 Colaiste Muire Sara Marek Yesterday in CIT the final day of the South Recreational Competition took place. Both Cup and Shield were rewards for the best teams. The Cup started out with 6 teams left on the final day. Wiz party (Impact) and Netforce had automatically qualified to the semis due to their 1 and 2 league positions respectively. UCC chicken attack were able to beat out BOA 1 in a tight first game to set up a semi with Netforce. If the first was tight, the second quarter really tested the players. Phoenix from killarney however booked their semi spot ahead of BOA 2 against Wiz party. UCC then looked in good shape to make the cup final taking the first set against Netforce but a great comeback saw Netforce progress. Wiz party took to the court to defend their title against Phoenix. Both sides playing powerful volleyball but it was the defending champions that raced into the final. The cup final was now a repeat of the last two years. The teams know each other well and it was all set for a great final. Wiz party took the first set but Netforce as they did against UCC came back to take the lead 2-1. They even had a match point in the fourth but wiz party were not going to give up that easily. They snatched the fourth 28-26 setting up a winner takes all 5th set. This year we have new cup champions NETFORCE VC! MVP Palmina Petillo ( NetforceVC) The shield had four teams competing on the final day. Bishopstown took on UCC crossbones in the first game of the day. Both teams slowly tested each other out over the 5 set match to begin with but last year's runners up made sure they were in with a shout once again this year as they powered onto a 3-0 victory. It was then the turn of VBAK (last year champs) against another UCC team -skulls. After VBAK took the first it seemed like we were in for a repeat of last year's final however skulls came back with a 25-21 victory in the 2nd. VBAK regained the momentum with a 25-20 win in the third and also a tight 25-23 to take the game. The UCC teams then played out for pride and bragging rights. Again only 8 points between the teams saw bones take the match 25-23, 25-20 and third place. The shield final was once again VBAK against Bishopstown and what a match!!!!! Both team had match points to win it by the time we reach the 5th set. Bishopstown led in sets 1-0 and 2-1. Then at 15-14 had match point but VBAK were once again crowned champions with an intense 18-16 finish. MVP - EDDIE (Vbak) Thank you to all teams for supporting the league and hope you enjoyed the tournament. We are starting our East Rec and Championships soon so get in touch for more info on how to play and enjoy some more recreational volleyball early in 2019! Volleyball Ireland is pleased to announce that we have been selected as a host organisation for the ASPIRE graduate project 2019. This project was approved by Government with support from the Dormant Accounts Fund and is in partnership with Sport Ireland. The project allows Volleyball Ireland to hire a recent graduate in the field of sport or physical activity for 11 months (commencing Monday February 25th). This is an exciting opportunity to work within an ambitious National Governing Body. The successful graduate to work alongside the General Manager and Office Manager on various Event Management projects such as the prestigious Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Olympic Qualifier. The Aspire Graduate will also have specific responsibility for coordinating the brand new Beach Volleyball Ireland Junior Tour and the HEVO project which focuses upon raising participation in colleges and universities. The Aspire Graduate will be immersed in a variety of development tasks that will provide a sound over view of the sports industry. Successful applicants will also receive one on one coaching and personal development sessions through Sport Ireland.  Irish Volleyballers Create History
The Ireland u16s Girls Volleyball Team created history at the European Championships Qualifying stage today (Sunday Jan 6th). The girls in green beat Iceland to claim 5th place and become the first Irish Junior Volleyball team to win an International Match. Led by the excellent Maria Jones Ireland cruised the first set winning 25-13, before Iceland hit back dominating the second (7-25) in super quick time. Ireland re-grouped and were driven by Grace Moloney who dominated play with neat passing and pinpoint volleys. The impressive setter Shannon Kehoe teed up some hard hitting spikes by Laura Connolly as Ireland took a nail biting third 25-23. The 4th set ebbed and flowed before the Irish got over the line. The hugely improving Yousra Kebayli with some vicious jump serves creating havoc. Ireland claimed victory 25-18 to run out winners 3-1 and begin some wild celebrations as the first Irish Junior Volleyball Team to win at an International event. Head Coach Gianni Massa commented, “I am very proud of all the girls, their dedication and commitment to this project has been inspiring and I am so happy for them to get their rewards. Coming here and competing is wonderful and to win a game is the icing on the cake.” Captain from Ennis Volleyball Club Maria Jones added, “It was a great performance which we knew we had. We’ve improved so much playing against these teams and to win is brilliant.” The Irish team will return home to Dublin airport tomorrow evening. Please see below brief reports from Ireland matches today in the
Confederation European Volleyball u16s Women's Championships, qualifying round. The tournament is held in the Faroe Islands. Ireland played Denmark and then the Faroe Islands. Tomorrow the girls are back in action at 10am in Vs either Sweden. Ireland V Denmark, 1030am Friday January 4th 2019. Ireland u16s Women's team began their European Championships campaign with a 3sets to nil defeat Vs Denmark. However, the Danes didn't have it all their own way as Ireland raced into a 6-4 first set lead, thanks to some excellent serving from Shannon Kehoe (no.2). Laura Connolly (no.12) provided a great foil at the net with some excellent Spiking and Blocking. Denmark came back strong taking the set 25-11. Set 2 was a similar story with Ireland winning some key rallies. Libero Grace Moloney was the stand out player for the Girls in Green. The Danes finished the set strongly with some powerful net work. A well supported Ireland improved in the final set with Skye Haughton and Maria Jones winning some good points. The Danes eventually came through 25-10. The match was a strong test for the Irish team against more experienced opposition. Team; 1. Yousra Kebayli 2. Shannon Kehoe 4. Jillian Sweeney 5. Maria Jones (c) 6. Sarah Cleary 7. Serodie Lyundaladio 8. Aoife Haran 9. Aine Browne 10. Amy O'Sullivan 11. Grace Moloney 12. Laura Connolly 14. Skye Haughton Ireland V Faroe Islands, 3pm Friday January 4th 2019. Ireland changed into their St. Patrick's Blue kit as they played the hosts in their second pool match of the 2019 CEV European Championships qualifying round. A competitive battle ensured with Ireland racing into a 22-17 lead before a stunning comeback from the Faroes clinched the first set. Like the first match of the day, Libero Grace Moloney was dominating the centre of court with accurate passing setting up the Irish attacks. Set 2 went much more to plan with Ireland racing into a 20-10 lead. Shannon Kehoe and the ever improving Aoife Haran the best performers. Another comeback from the hosts had the Irish supporters on the edge of their seats before captain Maria Jones led them to their first International set win. Into set 3 and the late night arrival and early start this morning began to catch up with Ireland with the fresh Faroes comfortably running out 25-12 winners, before finishing the job 25-18 in the fourth. Ireland will face Sweden on Saturday morning at 10am. All games can be watched live... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkaaCl-FzLSdOa-P8cazH-Q/live Irish Volleyballers in Action!!
The Ireland under 16s Girls Volleyball Team kick off their European Championships Qualifying campaign with two games in the Faroe Islands tomorrow (Friday Jan 4th 2019). The girls in green will take on tournament favourites Denmark at 10:30am and then the hosts at 15:00. Day 1 will feature pool stage matches, which will determine the schedule for Saturday and Sunday’s encounters. The tournament programme will provide tough competition against more experienced opposition. None of the Irish team have played internationally before. Captain Maria Jones (Ennis, Co Clare), said “We’ve been working hard the last few months pretty much every weekend. As well as physical fitness plans and nutrition programmes to best prepare us to give it our best shot. The tournament is about testing ourselves, learning from the experience and to become better Volleyball players.” A youthful squad of 12 players have made the journey to Torshavn, via flights to Edinburgh and then Vagar. A late arrival to the Faroes means a 10pm training session for the team tonight (Thurs 3rd Jan). Head Coach Gianni Massa added, “The girls have left no stone un-turned in their preparation which event included a late night captain’s run to get rid of the jet lag. They've been working very hard over the Christmas break as well with multiple training days. It’s been an honour to coach them.” The Ireland delegation also includes referee Vinnie Dos Santos who will be developing his officiating skills over the coming days. Like all Irish sports teams the supporters have travelled in numbers. Expect to see plenty of green, white and orange in the stands. All matches can be viewed via the Faroese Volleyball Association’s Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkaaCl-FzLSdOa-P8cazH-Q/live Friday 4th Jan Schedule: 10.30am: Ireland v Denmark 3.00pm: Ireland v Faroe Islands Match reports and revised schedules will be posted asap.  Volleyball Ireland will host the 1st Round of the 2019 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup – a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifying event. The prestigious event will be held over the June Bank Holiday at the picturesque Bettystown Beach, County Meath. The two day competition will see players from across Europe descend on the East Coast of Ireland in the 1st Round Qualifying phase. Bringing the biggest International Volleyball event in recent years to the country is a significant boost for Volleyball Ireland. President Grainne Culliton said, “Bringing International events to Ireland is a key part of our strategy to grow, develop and promote the sport. The profile of this event will help us inspire new players to the sport. We are incredibly excited to host such a prestigious event.” Teams from as many as 42 National Federations will contest the 2018-2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in an effort to fulfil their dream of participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It is a truly impressive figure as the CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup takes place for the third time in history, following previous editions that qualified teams for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in London and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. The Tournament will align with the CEV Schools Project programme, with VI working with the Meath Sports Partnership to deliver Beach Volleyball in local schools ahead of the event. General Manager, Gary Stewart added, “We want to use the profile of an Olympic Qualifier to get more people into Volleyball. It’s a great opportunity to show the country what a great sport Volleyball is and hopefully the Continental Cup will drive participation. I would also like to pay tribute to Grainne for getting the application across the line. She has led from the front with her drive, energy and determination to host this event.” Volleyball Ireland has a range of programmes for participants aged 5 years to 95 years old through its physical literacy initiatives for children to its Chair Volleyball campaign for older adults. Bettystown Beach has played a key role in the Beach Volleyball Ireland National Tour in recent years, and Volleyball Ireland would like to thank Meath County Council and the local Beach Management Group for their support so far. https://www.cev.eu/News.aspx?NewsID=28208&ID=7
 Volleyball Ireland were one of the big winners as the Minister Shane Ross announces €4.5m of investment through the Dormant Accounts fund.
Volleyball has been awarded a total of €58,000, across two projects; The Aspire Graduate Programme and the Sports Inclusion Programme. ASPIRE GRADUATE PROGRAMME Sport Ireland will fund a number of NGBs to directly employ a graduate on the scheme for a fixed term basis (11 months). In addition, Sport Ireland would support the graduate scheme employees with mentoring, executive coaching and skills development training for the duration of the scheme, ensuring appropriate standards and quality of experience was provided for each employee and host NGB. It is anticipated that upon completion of the programme, each participant will have gained experience and skills development to ensure their likelihood of securing long term professional employment in the Irish sports sector is greatly increased. The Volleyball Ireland graduate will lead the development of participation raising programmes, with a specific focus on Third Level Education. Applications for the new position will open in due course. SPORTS INCLUSION FUND The Volleyball Ireland project will include the delivery of Sitting Volleyball for people with a physical disability, as well as a range of programmes for people with an intellectual disability. The programme will also have a focus upon initiating sustainable school-club links in areas of social disadvantage. Funding was made available to National Governing Bodies of Sport to support the National Physical Activity Plan under: Action 47 ‘Continue to support the work of the National Governing Bodies of sport in implementing programmes to promote physical activity’, Action 48 ‘Develop programmes to address transitions and drop out from physical activity and sport’ Action 49 ‘Extend existing and developing programmes for physical activity for people with disabilities and their families to enhance and deliver a comprehensive health and wellbeing programme’. Commenting on the award, General Manager, Gary Stewart said, “We are delighted to be amongst the big winners in the Dormant Accounts funding announcement. The programmes we can deliver through this investment will make a difference to people’s lives and strengthen our clubs and our sport. It is a great vote of confidence from Sport Ireland in terms of what we are doing as an NGB.” Both programmes will see Volleyball Ireland working with partners such as the Irish Wheelchair Association, Student Sport Ireland and a number of Local Sports Partnerships. Volleyball Ireland would like to thank Minister Ross, Minister Griffin and Sport Ireland for their support. Press Release: https://www.sportireland.ie/Media/Latest_News/Ministers%20Ross%20and%20Griffin%20announce%20Dormant%20Accounts%20Funding%20for%20Sport%20and%20Physical%20Activity%20Measures.html Funding Breakdown: https://www.sportireland.ie/Media/Latest_News/Breakdown%20of%20Dormant%20Accounts%20Funding.pdf 
Volleyball Ireland are delighted to announce a sponsorship agreement with food franchise Eddie Rockets. The American Style Diner will become the main partner of the Ireland Women’s U16s team as they compete in the CEV European Championships in January. The team are heading to the Faroe Islands where they will take on Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and the hosts. The agreement will see the Eddie Rockets brand on the Training gear for the team. Commenting on the deal, General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart said, “we are delighted that an Irish brand like Eddie Rockets is backing our girls. They’ve been training incredibly hard over the last year for this event and to receive such generous support from an Irish company is a real boost to them. It’s a nice fit when you look at where our Volleyball strongholds are and where Eddie Rockets Diners are located there’s a synergy and we hope the franchises can benefit as much as the team will from this.” The cost of competing is in the region of €16,000, of which the players and parents have raised a significant amount through an array of fundraising events. Volleyball Ireland would like to thank Eoin O’Reilly Marketing Manager of Eddie Rockets, Niall Fortune, Owner of Eddie Rockets and Liam Jones, Team Manager of the U16 girls who has played an integral park in securing the sponsorship. Eddie Rockets City Diner’s are located in the following areas: DUBLIN CITY CENTRE Dame Street, Point Square, O’ Connell Street, Parnell Centre, South Anne Street, Wexford Street DUBLIN Blackrock, Blanchardstown Centre, Charlestown SC, Finglas, Citywest Shopping Centre, Clare Hall, Donnybrook, Dundrum Town Centre, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre (Cinema Entrance), Liffey Valley Shopping Centre (Penney's Entrance), Omni Park Shopping Centre, Phibsborough Shopping Centre, Rathmines, Stillorgan Shopping Centre, Swords, Terenure, The Square Tallaght, Walkinstown. NATIONWIDE Arklow, Athlone, Belfast - Lisburn Road, Belfast - Boucher Crescent, Carlow, Celbridge, Drogheda, Kilkenny, Killarney, Lisburn, Mullingar, Naas, Navan, Portlaoise, Tullamore, Newry, Newbridge Waterford.  Board Vacancy; TREASURER (voluntary)
The Opportunity Volleyball Ireland is seeking a voluntary treasurer to join our dynamic board. This is a pivotal and exciting role that will help shape one of Ireland’s most diverse sports. Volleyball Ireland Volleyball Ireland was established in 1968, and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Currently employing 5 full time staff, Volleyball Ireland has ambitious plans for it’s future development in line with it’s new 4 year strategy – Raising the Game. Some other facts;
The Role The Treasurer will actively participate on the board, working in close partnership with the President, General Manager and other Board members of Volleyball Ireland to safeguard the organisation's finances. You will be responsible for ensuring that effective financial systems and procedures have been established, are being consistently followed and are in line with best practice & legal requirements. All board members receive a comprehensive induction pack. Main Responsibilities
Closing date for applications is 9:00am Monday 17th December 2018. Volleyball Ireland is an equal opportunities employer. Today, November 15th 2018 at 14:00 the 2018/19 Association Cup Draw took place in Volleyball Ireland Offices. Gary Stewart (General Manager of Volleyball Ireland) conducted the draw, which has produced some cracking ties and sets the stage for a truly competitive competition ahead. The full draws are available at the bottom of this page & a recap of both draws is also shown below. Womens Round 1 - 1.1 - 12/13 Jan - Munster Thunder vs DVC Lions Round 1 - 1.2 - 12/13 Jan - Santry D2W vs Naas Cobras Round 1 - 1.3 - 12/13 Jan - Santry D1W vs Tallaght Rockets Round 1 - 1.4 - 12/13 Jan - UCD vs Santry PW Cup QF - CupQF1 - 09/10 Feb - Gardians Patatas vs Winner 1.1 Cup QF - CupQF2 - 09/10 Feb - Galway VC vs Winner 1.2 Cup QF - CupQF3 - 09/10 Feb - TCD vs Winner 1.3 Cup QF - CupQF4 - 09/10 Feb - Dalkey Devils vs Winner 1.4 Mens Round 1 - 1.1 - 12/13 Jan - IT Carlow vs Aer Lingus Harriers Round 1 - 1.2 - 12/13 Jan - Santry D1M vs UCD Round 1 - 1.3 - 12/13 Jan - Galway VC vs Aer Lingus Masters Round 1 - 1.4 - 12/13 Jan - Balls of Anarchy vs Aer Lingus PM Round 1 - 1.5 - 12/13 Jan - Santry Eagles vs Gardians 5.0 Cup QF - CupQF1 - 9/10 Feb - DVC Bravo vs Winner 1.5 Cup QF - CupQF2 - 9/10 Feb - Tallaght Rockets vs Winner 1.4 Cup QF - CupQF3 - 9/10 Feb - TCD vs Winner 1.3 Cup QF - CupQF4 - 9/10 Feb - Winner 1.1 vs Winner 1.2
 Inland Beach Volleyball Application
Dublin City Council in partnership with Volleyball Ireland and the Beach Volleyball Commission (BVI) has submitted a Sports Capital Grant application to develop 3 inland Beach courts in Clontarf. The development will see competition standard sand, posts and surroundings to provide the best environment for our beach athletes to train and prepare. The centre will play a key part in transforming the sport and promoting further participation opportunities for existing players and beginners. Volleyball Ireland would like to pay tribute to the tireless volunteers on the Beach Commission who have driven the project for a number of years and continue to provide a range of events and programmes for members. Gary Stewart, General Manager of Volleyball Ireland said, “all sports are driven by volunteers and I am amazed by how much work the various commissions and board contribute to Volleyball. I would particularly like to thank Miriam Gormally and her team for driving this project that will transform beach volleyball in Ireland. It’s vital that we have facilities like this to allow a pathway from participation to performance.” Volleyball Ireland would also like to express its sincere gratitude to the team at Dublin City Council for their vast contribution to the project. This development would not be possible without their support and vision to improve facilities for the Dublin City residents. Gary added, “we are eternally grateful to DCC for supporting this project and in particular Darragh Cunningham and Antonia Martin from the Sports and Leisure dept for their continuing efforts to drive participation in partnership with Volleyball.” The project is worth in excess of €200,000, with a decision date of late Summer 2019. The Sports Capital Programme will see 40m of exchequer funding pumped into sports projects around Ireland. Volleyball Ireland also submitted a range of applications to upgrade indoor facilities and equipment pieces to kick start the development of new clubs in both Indoor and Beach Volleyball.  The Men's and Women's editions of the 2018/19 VAI Cup is open for registration. Club secretaries ONLY can complete the online form at ; https://goo.gl/forms/tFram3AdMzNL1tpo1
All clubs affiliated to Volleyball Ireland can enter the knock out competition. It is the perfect opportunity for recreational clubs to challenge themselves against the top National League teams in David v Goliath style battles. We are expecting one or two underdog stories as Garda VC and DVC defend their Women's and Men's titles respectively. Full details Dear Club Secretary, We are delighted to announce that online registration for the Association Cup 2018/19 is now available. Please find the link below: https://goo.gl/forms/tFram3AdMzNL1tpo1 Please note that your club must be affiliated with Volleyball Ireland to enter the Association Cup. If your club has not done so, please consider the advice contained alongside the online registration. The deadline for the submission of entries is Tuesday, 13 November 2018. We will provide you with further guidelines and timelines regarding when the specific rounds of the Cup and Shield must be played when we send out the draw. In any case we will run the competition on some or all of the following weekends – 1/2 December, 12/13 January, 9/10 February, 9/10 March. Fixtures held outside of these dates will require the Fixture Change protocol to be followed. The semi-finals of the Cup will be held on the weekend of the 30/31 March (separate communication regarding this event will follow in the coming days) and the Cup and Shield finals will be held as part of the Finals Weekend on 11/12 May 2019. We would also draw your attention to the following matters that will be in force again this season:
If you have any queries on this, please don’t hesitate to contact the office or the Competitions Commission directly. Jennifer Fitzgerald President, Competitions Commission competitions@volleyballireland.com  The first Volleyball Ireland Junior National League begins this weekend.
This league is the culmination of years of hard work developing schools and supporting clubs to establish youth sections. This development work, led by Conor Flood, included a number of blitzes, friendly competitions and coach education workshops to build a strong foundation of volleyball in strategic areas across the country. This weekend will see 13 teams compete in the inaugural competition at u18 age level. The girls league will kick start a competitive framework that will see additional age groups added over the coming years ensuring a strong pathway from schools participation to Adult National League Volleyball and ultimately the Irish National Team. General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart said, “Our new strategic plan places the emphasis on developing new clubs and supporting existing clubs to build youth sections and expand their coaching and volunteer resources. The Junior National League is a great step and is testament to the hard work the board and staff have put in over recent years. Programmes like this are central to the good health of Volleyball in Ireland.” Volleyball Ireland will be replicating this model at different age groups and with a boys version. If any clubs are interested in taking part please contact cdo@volleyballireland.com to register your interest. There will be opportunities to participate in blitzes and fun tournaments over the season to get a taste of competitive Volleyball. The Development team are here to support clubs establish youth sections. Often there can be a mine field of policies and compliance involved when working with children – the team are here to support you through that and concentrate on the good stuff – Volleyball! A special Thank You to those clubs and tireless volunteers for supporting junior volleyball without your hard work and dedication this simply doesn’t happen. Our line-up for the first Junior National League; Galway Volleyball Club Newbridge Volleyball Club (Pumas and Tigers) Clare Volleyball Club Dalkey Volleyball Club Ennis Volleyball Club (Elites and Eagles) Naas Volleyball Club (Mambas and Vipers) Santry Volleyball Club Irish Emeralds u16 Craigavon Aztecs VC (NI) TDS (NI) Fixtures this weekend; Holy Family SS 3rd Nov 1130am Warm up Newbridge Pumas V Dalkey Newbridge Tigers V Santry Newbridge Pumas V Santry Newbridge Tigers V Dalkey Holy Family SS 3rd Nov 130pm Warm Up TDS V Ennis Elites Craigavon Aztecs V Ennis Eagles TDS V Ennis Eagles Craigavon Aztecs V Ennis Elites St Brigid’s College 4th Nov 2pm warm up Naas Vipers V Galway VC Irish Emeralds V Clare VC Naas Mambas V Clare VC Irish Emeralds V Galway VC Naas Mambas VS Galway VC Naas Vipers VS Clare Volleyball Volleyball Ireland has submitted two nationwide applications to the Dept. Transport, Tourism and Sport Sports Capital Grant Programme to support its member clubs.
The two projects are as follows;
The Net and Post Replacement Scheme has been initiated based on the Club Equipment Needs Audit carried out earlier this month. Within the audit it was clear that the most sought after equipment were posts and nets which often come into disrepair. The application would see a nationwide upgrade on these vital pieces of equipment. When in decline these can become a barrier to participation and cause potential health and safety issues. As part of the club development programme, members have highlighted these equipment issues as a priority. The second project will see new clubs, or existing clubs who wish to setup a youth section receive a starter pack of balls and equipment to support their development and grow participation. General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart added, “As part of the Volleyball Ireland Strategic Plan, we want to encourage the launch of new clubs and help our current members to build youth sections to feed into our new National Youth League programme. The starter pack programme will be a big help to drive participation and support what is a fundamental part of growing the sport. Getting that initial money together to buy equipment is often the biggest barrier to participation.” The combined grant application is valued at over €45,000 – Volleyball Ireland is seeking a grant of €36,000 to deliver these projects. Volleyball Ireland also supported a number of equipment only applications from member clubs.   Global Volleyball legend and Olympic champion Vladimir Grbic, joined Volleyball Ireland to celebrate it’s 50th Anniversary. Grbic visited Ireland for 5 days delivering a series of coaching masterclasses for young players, as well as a QandA with a range of top Irish coaches. The trip is part of a strategy by Volleyball Ireland to up-skill players and coaches to improve the overall standards of Volleyball in the country. The Serbian delivered Volleyball workshops to the Irish Junior teams including the u16s Girls team who are preparing for the CEV Championships qualifying round in early 2019, as well as training with the Boys u12 training squad. Grbic also helped launched the CEV Schools Project in Ireland with a once-in-a-lifetime coaching experience for Sutton Park School. Prior to that he was working with a local Dublin school who are prioritising the development of Beach Volleyball. President of Volleyball Ireland, Grainne Culliton said, “Vladimir's coaching philosophy is inspirational. He emphasises the importance for children to be involved in sport for mental and physical reasons, and to keep them playing, the focus must be on them having fun so they want to come back again and again. We certainly hope he will come back to Ireland again soon”. Vladimir took time in his trip to visit the HQ of Special Olympics Europe/Asia for whom he is a global ambassador and his passion for working with children with special needs was evident. This was Ireland's first time to host an international volleyball super star, and it is hoped to do this again, to help in achieving the goals of the new Volleyball Ireland strategy to be launched later this month.
 Volleyball Ireland have received a grant of €2,600 to support the development of coaching courses. The funding will be used to host a series of workshops in late 2018 and 2019. The topics of these courses will focus on Speed and Agility, Coaching Children as well as technical skill specific workshops.
The support has already helped subsidise the cost of 25 new Foundation level coaches and 17 new Level 1 coaches who were trained over the last 6 weeks. It is hoped our newly up-skilled coaches will support the implementation of a brand new u18 Junior National League. General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart said, “We’d like to thank the FIVB for their support in helping up skill our coaching workforce – quality coaching is at the heart of player and participation development. It all links nicely, the FIVB are supporting our coaching programme and the CEV are investing heavily in our Schools. And as an NGB we have a big focus on supporting the clubs. Those are really three key elements of the new strategic plan. We are indebted to the Coaching Commission for the tireless work putting the various syllabuses and modules together, as well as their delivery.” More information on the coaching workshops will be announced in the next few weeks. Keep an eye on volleyballireland.com In order for minors to complete the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping online course parents/guardians need to contact Rachel Maguire of Sport Ireland (rmaguire@sportireland.ie) and CC Jessie Carmody (jessie@volleyballireland.com) to create a profile with the parents/guardians email address so the minor can do the course.
Login details will then be sent to the parents/guardians email address.
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February 2019
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