News | SUNEE HOSTS REGIONAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
On March 1st, University of Sunderland’s Cityspace hosted the SUNEE U-15 Regional Volleyball Championships for both boys and girls.
A real regional flair was brought to the event as schools from all over the North East competed. At this age level, this regional championship is the highest accolade that teams can achieve and most of the schools involved had to qualify from their own county championships.
Volleyball England have a national competition framework for schools and it is hoped that tournaments such as these will boost the profile and participation in the sport. The excitement and enthusiasm of the players and coaches was evident in the build up to the tournament.
Martin Wain, head coach at Acklam Grange school in Middlesbrough said: “The girls have put a lot of work in to get here and the opportunity to play competitive volleyball doesn’t happen very often.”
“But this event and tournament is a step in the right direction. It’s a massive improvement for the area from what we’ve had in the past. It’s what you need to develop a sport – top facilities like this.”
Steve Mullins, a teacher from Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham, Northumberland was pleased to have made the trip. He said: “I think that continuing participation in any event is essential for sport development.”
“We qualified from our County to get here and it’s great to be given the opportunity to play further and represent the school on a wider platform.”
Amy Westmorland, a teacher at Biddick School Sports College in Washington, said:
“The kids have really loved coming here. This is a completely new experience for them.”
“They have been receiving extra coaching through the Satellite Club which is organised through the SAFC foundation and is held on a Tuesday night so they have really taken to the sport.”
Helping bring volleyball to the wider community is Amanda McLean. Amanda is a Community Coach with the SAFC foundation and also represents Volleyball England. She said: “This is a fantastic event and it’s a great facility.”
“I do a lot of coaching at schools and give them taster sessions. There has been a lot of interest from schools to do more sessions and hopefully this event will go a long way to cementing their interest and participation.”
“One of my main aims is to raise awareness of other sports and encourage kids to be active and try something new. I know a lot of the kids participating here today and their enthusiasm and ability really shines through when they play.”
The event was looked after by SUNEE volunteers from all the Universities involved in the project and also youngsters from Farringdon and Sandhill View schools in Sunderland. These children are involved in the Young Apprenticeship Program.
The YAP provides an opportunity for children between the age of 14-16 to combine academic study with a blend of vocational qualifications and work placements.
Andy Roberts, who runs the Young Apprenticeship Program at Farringdon said: “It’s a vocational way of learning.”
“We aim to develop young leaders who can gain real world experience and be accredited for that experience.”
“The children can achieve NVQ’s and coaching qualifications. They evaluate, plan and deliver events. It is a hand’s on approach, a tangible product and that’s what motivates them.”
Liam Agnew, from Farringdon school, enjoys the variation from a normal classroom education. He said: “It’s really good and a lot of fun. We help to organise and run events and I get involved in the planning of tournaments.”
“On the day we will do a real mixture of activities; refereeing, coaching, keeping the score and setting up the courts.”
“I feel like I get more respect from other people because they can see us working hard, doing stuff and getting involved.”
“It’s a much more rewarding experience and it’s a great feeling when a tournament or an event that I’ve helped to organise runs well.”
Steven Foster, 15, is also part of the YA Program and he said: “It’s all based on practical stuff. We get out of the classroom and have a much more hands on role which I prefer.”
“We are involved in all parts of the day and it’s a much better experience.”
Vickie Todd, is the Sport Development Officer for Teesside University and was involved in the organisation of the event through SUNEE.
She said: “It’s been a mammoth task organising the event but we’ve got 8 different schools from all over the North East.”
“SUNEE really supports school competition at a regional level. Some county competitions can’t go any further so we wanted to add another element to enhance school competition.”
“Funding is a big part of getting team to these events and we want to give kids a chance.”
On the court, both the boys and girls served up a treat of volleyball action.
The tournament format saw two pools of four teams compete in a round robin before proceeding to semi-finals, 3rd/5th/7th place playoffs and the final itself. This ensured that every team played the same amount of games and that each side had something to play for in every match.
On the boy’s side, Haydon Bridge Community High School from Northumberland ran out victorious on points in the final against Haughton Community School from Darlington.
Rhys Main of Haydon Bridge said: “Oh yes, were delighted to win. It was close at the end.”
“It’s been a great day, coming and playing here, it’s better than what were used to.”
In the girl’s competition, a nail biting final went to sudden death with the rules stating that a team needed two clear points to win. The girls from Conyers Comprehensive School in Stockton eventually prevailed against a spirited performance from Acklam Grange of Middlesbrough.
Conyers coach Rachel Brinlow said: “I’m very proud of the girls. They were really excited to come here and it’s been a great day.”
“The event as a whole has been very well organised and I think it’s really encouraging for volleyball, which I think is coming on in leaps and bounds as an extra curricular sport.”
Reflecting on a successful event, organiser Steve Betts said: “Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for attending and taking part. And special thanks goes to all the volunteers who have helped today.”
“From the feedback I’ve received so far everybody has enjoyed the tournament and I’m very pleased with how the day has gone.”
Steve, a Development Officer for North England volleyball and the northern counties, said: “It’s been a truly regional event with representatives from Northumberland, Tynedale, Tees valley and of course the children volunteers from schools here in Sunderland.”
“We have had over 100 kids playing volleyball today and all to a fair standard. That can only improve with training and development.”
“The aim is to get volleyball introduced to schools as a mainstay of curriculum and I think today has shown that there is great potential and hunger for the sport in our area.”
Article written by David Peddie, SUNEE Journalism Scholar at University of Sunderland
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