The growth of Volleyball in the South is clearly evident with 5 new clubs now operating in Cork, Kerry, Waterford and North Tipperary. These clubs have been set up over the past few months and provide opportunity for players in these regions to participate locally in Volleyball.
The VAI has been working closely with Local Sports Partnerships in Kerry, North Tipperary and Waterford in developing Volleyball in these areas and received some funding support under the National Action Plan Against Racism (NPAR) to run initiatives in these areas. The aim of these initiatives is to encourage persons from migrant communities in Ireland to integrate into Irish society through participation in Volleyball and to provide Officiating and Coach education in the Irish context. These initiatives have yielded good results so far with two new clubs active in Waterford, one in Waterford City & one in Dungarvan, a new club in Thurles Co Tipperary and also in Tralee Co Kerry. The set up of an additional club in Kerry is in the pipeline with a meeting set up in the next few weeks in Killarney. The member base of these clubs is very diverse with Polish, Czech, Slovakians, Russians, Estonians, Irish and many more all working together to develop their clubs and Volleyball in their area.
Youghal International Volleyball Club in Co Cork is Cork’s newest club and was formed in January 2006 as a Community Club with an aim to encourage integration, communication and learning in the local community, through participation in Volleyball. The club currently has members from Ireland, England, Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic participating at their weekly sessions. The club has been very active in promoting the sport to their local community and recently ran a very successful fundraising entertainment night in the town showcasing local talent and highlighting the activities of the club.
All these clubs are operating at a recreation level at the moment with plans in place to develop competitive teams, with some clubs well on their way already!! A mixed league for the 07/08 season is in the planning again for Cork this year and will provide a good opportunity for these teams to participate in fun competition and meet players from other clubs. Some friendly matches have already been played and all are eager to play more friendly games with established teams in order to gain more experience and put their Volleyball skills to the test! Coaching and Referee courses are being planned to run in Waterford, Kerry and North Tipperary in the coming months to assist in the development in Volleyball in these areas and to develop supporting personnel locally. Details of these courses will be posted on the VAI website.
All these clubs are actively seeking new members so if you are interested in getting involved in any way contact Ciara at the above contact details, or any of the club contacts listed below
