Scottish Volleyball Association
2014 2015 •
Annual Report
BIGGER • BETTER • STRONGER
Scottish Volleyball Association www.scottishvolleyball.org
CONTENTS
Contents 1. Message from the President
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2. CEO Review
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3. Finance
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4. Regional Development Reports
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5. Commission Reports Beach Coaching Competitions International Special Events Referees Student (Universities) Youth and Schools
10 12 14 16 18 20 22
6. National Teams Report Senior Beach Senior Women’s Senior Men’s Young Senior Women’s Young Senior Men’s
24 26 28 30 32
7 Statistical Report 2014 - 2015
SCOTTISH VOLLEYBALL SPONSORS
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
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SCOTTISH VOLLEYBALL PARTNERS
Welcome to the SVA 2014-15 Annual Report. In my 3rd full year as President of our Association, I am delighted to report on an extremely successful year for Scottish Volleyball. I was very proud to see Scotland host International competitions both indoors and, for the first time, on the beach this year. June 2014 saw Perth host the women's CEV Small Countries Division qualifier, a fantastic event where a huge Scottish crowd cheered the home team on to qualification for the finals, taking place in May 2015. Good luck also to the Men's National Team who compete in Luxembourg in June 2015 having also qualified for the CEV SCD finals. In September, Edinburgh's Portobello beach hosted Round 2 of the CEV Continental Cup "Road to Rio", when both men's and women's teams qualified for Round 3. Round 3 of the CEV Continental Cup was hosted in Austria in April 2015. Men's and women's teams competed extremely well against world class opposition, and the women's teams took an unprecedented step forward for Scottish Volleyball by qualifying for Round 4 which will take place in August/September 2015.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Message from the President
In addition to the success of the teams involved, I was particularly struck by Scotland's ability to host what can only be described as world class events and would like to thank all of the people involved who made this happen. Supporting the governance of the SVA I was delighted to welcome Sara Servalli to the SVA Board. Sara brings expertise from her work with CEV and FIVB, and has a strong background in marketing. A significant achievement this year was the creation of the charity Volleyball for Scotland, which could allow us to access different sources of funding. On home soil it was good to see all domestic competition going well and the introduction of a successful new competition structure in Women's Division 1. Very encouragingly, huge progress was made in the district leagues with a dramatic increase in the number of teams participating. It is a good sign for the future that sportscotland continue to support Scottish Volleyball both strategically and financially, and notably, the impact of the hard work of the Regional Development Officers is showing already with participation figures rising. Finally, I would like to extend a big thank you to all players, coaches, officials, volunteers, the SVA staff and Board for their ongoing commitment to making Scottish Volleyball better. Mel Coutts SVA President
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CEO REVIEW
Chief Executive Review 2014 has been a fast paced, performance packed whirlwind of a year for the staff, athletes, clubs and volunteers of Scottish Volleyball. The SVA’s Strategic Plan of Bigger Sport, Better Profile and Stronger Clubs has really moved up a gear as we concluded our third year; delivering over and above what was expected of us and what we had planned to achieve. Our annual 2014/15 SVA Operational Plan; the third year of the four year plan was completed by the end of March 2015. It is pleasing to report that we achieved 89% of the identified Key Performance Indicators, either before or by the identified time. This high percentage of deliverables is particularly encouraging when considering the complex staffing issues we have experienced. The addition of two full time development officer’s in the east and west regions and the implementation of new regional programmes has helped the Association to increase membership, create exciting indoor and beach player pathways whilst consistently maintaining high governance standards. This year we had both junior squads competing in the 2014 CEV Small Countries Division (SCD) finals. I was delighted and proud to be present at the junior men’s finals, in Luxembourg, to witness them win our first ever gold in a European competition. Then one week later, our junior female athletes won bronze in San Marino; it was a fantastic two weeks for our junior squads and for Scottish Volleyball!! To add to this, our Senior National Teams performed outstandingly within the 2014 senior SCD qualification tournaments with both teams progressing to the 2015 finals to be held in Liechtenstein and Luxembourg May/June 2015. What a success for all four squads, the coaches, team staff, travelling support and parents! Last year saw the popularity and profile of beach volleyball rise significantly with an increased summer beach tour calendar. Performance also improved through junior development camps and Scotland competing both men and women within the FIVB-CEV Continental Cup. As this report goes to print our female players have reached the fourth round “on the road to Rio” FIVB-CEV Continental Cup; sport is full of dreams, ambitions and remarkable people, let us hope that within the 2015-16 annual report that this road trip is still continuing!
Notable Achievements 2014-15
• Volleyball for Scotland Charity established • Volleyball for Scotland Trustees appointed • 12% membership increase – 600 new members in 2yrs • Sponsorship and Marketing Board Director appointed • COCO5 - sponsorship agreement for the SVA National Cup Finals • SVA Equality and Diversity Policy and Action Plan 2013-17 • SVA 2014/15 Anticorruption and Bribery policy • Stronger Clubs Conference – August 2014 • Increased funding towards the SVA International Influencing Strategy for UKsport 2015-17 • sportscotland; funding secured for two new Regional Development Officers • National League, National Play-Offs, Regional League, University Championships • National Cup Finals, John Syer Trophy, and Schools Cup Finals • Schools Cup and junior membership programme • “reffin brilliant” – participation for 18-21yr olds within university leagues • Introduction of the female SVA coaching apprenticeship • Small Counties Divisional office administered from within the SVA • Increased financial support from Local Authorities and established partners 4
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
Shaping our Future The SVA’s Strategic Plan is part of an exciting 12 year vision that is designed to see Scottish Volleyball expand, develop and achieve a growth of 30% across the sport as a whole. The 2013 -17 plan forms the middle section of a strategy pyramid, which combines three, four year cycles to achieve our 2021 vision.
Bigger Sport; developing competitions, regional programmes and facilities; Better Profile; improving national performance and increased business and financial partners; Stronger Clubs; sustaining and increasing Indoor, Beach and Sitting Volleyball through regional and local programmes specifically aimed at schools and youth.
Stronger Clubs Framework 2013 – 2017 BIGGER SPORT Competition and Regions
Competition Structures Regional Approach
Facilities
BETTER PROFILE
STRONGER CLUBS
People and Performance
Participation and Clubs
Workforce Development
Programmes and Opportunities
Player Development & National Squads Marketing & Profile
2014 – 2015
It continues the theme of Bigger, Better and Stronger with 2013-17 being all about:
Stronger Clubs
School Volleyball
By 2021, we aim to have achieved
• Volleyball Development Centre • An Indoor Beach Facility • FIVB Volley All outdoor programme • Volleyball integrated into sportscotland regional infrastructure with Regional Development Officers • GB volleyball development programme based in Scotland • UKSport International Strategy - SVA development of more female representation, FIVB/CEV • Restructured Board and robust succession plan •
SVA development
o
Bigger Opportunities Better Facilities Stronger SVA 2017-21 Bigger Sport Better Profile Stronger Clubs 2013-2017 30% Bigger- Better - Stronger 2009 - 2013
In conclusion The SVA Board has once more worked tirelessly with the SVA staff throughout 2014/15. Sara Seravalli is the newly appointed Board Member for Marketing. As a governance team comprising of staff, Board, Commissions, volunteers and members of the SVA it is essential to note that we “punch well above our weight” in comparison to other Governing Bodies in relation to female representation at Board and Commission level. I would like to thank this “team” for their dedication, enthusiasm, skill, time, laughter and above all ambition to make our sport the best that it can be. My thanks is also given to Lorna Callan the SVA sportscotland Partnership Manager, Lynne Marshall and Michael McConville of volleyballphotos.co.uk and Roddy Mackenzie of Final Whistle Media. To all the staff of Scottish Volleyball for their dedication, focus and personal support of me as CEO, my sincere thanks!!
Margaret Ann Fleming Chief Executive Officer
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FINANCE
Finance The provisional accounts for the year ended 31st March 2015 have been prepared by the SVA Finance Officer, Ailien Pallot and reviewed by Haines Watt Chartered Accountants. The following review reflects the significant activities of the Association in relation to income and expenditure for 2014/15.
INCOME The accounts for 2014/15 show a total of £440,710 (£367,261 - 2013/14) in available funds to the Association and represents a significant increase from last year. This was achieved primarily through an increase in the grant from sportscotland as well as additional grants from the CEV, sponsorship and other partner organisations in support of the two international events organised by the SVA. The additional income generated by the SVA this year was £157,810 (£143,329 – 2013/14) which included contributions from FIVB/CEV of £19,600; Perth & Kinross Council £10,000, UK Sport £4,000, SOVT £5,000, Edinburgh Council of £4,020, and £300 from the Sports Council of Glasgow.
Sponsorship GEFF – National Team Kit supplier, 2014/15 was the final year of a two year deal that began in April 2013 and equated to £12,000. The 20% payback agreement on all on-line sales from club uniforms to branded SVA materials will, however, continue. COCO5 – the coconut re-hydration drink is our new 2 year sponsor of the SVA National Cup finals. This sponsorship shall generate future income for our National Finals with the addition that Clubs will have the opportunity to sell the product within their own communities and receive a cash back bonus for doing so. Anytime Leisure – is the SVA equipment partner with a financial agreement of 20% payback on all on-line sales from January 2015. GERFLOR continue to support the SVA as partners adding professional expertise and experience to our events. MIKASA the official ball supplier to the SVA provided the organisation with new equipment and balls for season 2014/15
sportscotland
FIVB / CEV SCD
We would like to thank sportscotland for their on-going support during the year including the grant of £ 282,900 (£245,400 - 13/14). The increase resulted from the additional investment towards to the two new Regional Development Officer posts appointed in 2014/15 for the East and West. Our grant from sportscotland has been confirmed for 2015/16 at the same level of investment.
We hosted two major international events this year starting in June 2014 with the CEV SCD Women’s European Qualifiers in Perth. This event was supported financially from competing Federations £14,540, Perth & Kinross £10,000; SOVT £5,000; and CEV £4,387
UK Sport We are grateful to UK Sports’ grant of £4,000 (£ 5,000 13/14) which contributes to the international work of the organisation where we continue to have representation on the CEV Main Board; CEV Small Countries Division Board; FIVB Rules of the Game and Disciplinary
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Commissions. Our award for the next two year period is confirmed and has been increased to a total of £11,500 (2015/16 £4,500 and 2016/17 £7,000).
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
The second event hosted in September 2014 was the FIVB/CEV Continental Cup held in Portobello and supported by Edinburgh City Council £4,020; CEV £11,733 and team entries of £5,395. Scottish Sports Aids Trust continued to support the Association with a further £1,500 grant towards the Junior National Team Programmes in 2014/15
Annual expenditure rose to £435,729 (£366,609 – 2013/14) with staffing costs slightly reduced due to £212,128 (£219,868) due to continued staff secondments and timing issues in new staff appointments.
BALANCE SHEET Our Balance Sheet remains healthy with a general reserve of £52,335 (£47,355) and additional brought forward deferred funds of £52,470 available to expend in the forthcoming financial period. Overheads The organisations works hard to minimise overhead expenditure and these have been reduced from last year to £40,047 (£46,016 2013/14). Programme Expenditure An investment of £46,000 went towards the five main national team programmes including beach with a further investment of £18,856 into the schools programmes including attendance at the UK School Games.
Clubs and Commission expended £21,275; with domestic competition at £11,440. The two international events hosted in June and September saw the highest expenditure totalling £72,850 which was met by the various income streams detailed above. The SVA charity “Volleyball for Scotland” was approved by OSCR in April 2014. This charitable arm of the Association provides opportunities to generate different funding sources for specified volleyball projects.
2014 – 2015
EXPENDITURE
In summary, the finances of the Association remain healthy with the continued support from sportscotland and other partner organisations both nationally in organisations such as UK Sport, internationally from the FIVB, CEV and SCD or in local authority support such as the City of Edinburgh Council; Perth and Kinross; Glasgowlife; Aberdeenshire City Council, SOVT, Edinburgh University, Dundee University and Aberdeen Grammar School Margaret Ann Fleming CEO Scottish Volleyball
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R E G I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T R E P O RT S
Regional Development Reports The Scottish Volleyball Association has benefitted from the addition of two new regional development posts, implemented within the last year. Already this additional manpower is delivering increased membership figures and renewed attention to the volleyball pathway. In line with the SVA’s Strategic Plan and vision for the future, the development officers aim to contribute to the growth of Scottish Volleyball by helping create quality opportunities for people to get involved in volleyball and help consolidate and enhance existing opportunities. Significant energy and enthusiasm is being directed at early years volleyball experiences, robust development pathways and the allimportant school to club link. Sustainability and long-term development must be at the heart of everything that is implemented.
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Support for and delivery to the Regional Volleyball and Beach Volleyball Junior Development sessions throughout the season.
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Encouragement for the addition of Edinburgh Beach Volleyball Club to accommodate the surge in popularity of beach volleyball, with the success of our National Teams acting as a catalyst for this increase.
RDO West – Andy Fleming
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Over the last year I have been active in 8 different local authorities. In this time, I have established contact with many key partners including local councils, leisure trusts, sports development teams, education and Active Schools. These key partnerships have aided the development of the sport massively.
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This year, Primary and Secondary school delivery has been a key area of work. This has generated 19 new high school affiliations. I have also been able to deliver CPD to both primary and secondary staff. This delivery and support has allowed me to visit 24 different high schools promoting the Volleyball pathway and generating school to club links.
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This year working closely with 1st 2nd and 3rd years at the University of Strathclyde, I was able to generate 143 new members and deliver CPD to 16 Post Graduate students studying PE teaching. Also working with Ayrshire College (Kilmarnock Campus) I was able to deliver 5 Introductory coaching awards, generating 76 new members. Which has also lead to the college expressing an interest in competing in the national league.
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For sportscotland, I had to identify a number of priority club to develop. This developmental work has come in many forms, including working on the improvement of the clubs governance, developing school club links, recruitment of new players and supporting new coaches.
HIGHLIGHTS RDO East – Lynne Beattie
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Strengthening key partnerships with local authorities, Active Schools, Education Scotland, teachers, universities, coaches, and of course our clubs.
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Collaborative work with clubs, in order to enhance their junior development pathways, and ensure that they have an attractive outlet for players out with schools volleyball.
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Work with the SVA Coaching Manager to Increase the coaching workforce across the region, in order to accommodate the increase in popularity, membership and delivery, ultimately ensuring that the pathway is sustainable long term
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Support for the creation of competitive opportunities for our young players, including the City of Edinburgh International Children’s Games entry in both Indoor and Beach Volleyball. This opportunity will hopefully act as a stepping stone towards a place for Volleyball in the City of Edinburgh Sports Academy, in the near future.
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
2014 – 2015
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B E A C H C O M M I S S I O N R E P O RT
Beach Commission Report The Scottish Beach Volleyball season began with the Scottish Universities Beach Volleyball Championships, featuring 60 students on the West Sands, St Andrews. Some great play and better ball control won the day in both men's and women's competitions, with Abertay University winning the men's title and Stirling University the women's. Early on in 2014, the first Scottish Senior beach squads had been formed and were busy training for Scotland's first foray into Senior Beach Volleyball competition in the CEV Continental Cup in Portoroz, Slovenia in June, where both men's and women's squads qualified into Round 2. The Scottish Beach Tour began in June 2014. With increased entries, some new names and a newly purchased amplifier and speakers, organisers created a great vibe round the Scottish coastline. On many weekends, Saturday’s championship event was followed on Sunday by a mixed event. The tour events featured some dominant partnerships, but also some experimental ones and some brand new title winners. The Glasgow Riverside Masters event again took place next to the iconic Glasgow Riverside Museum on their purpose-built court. With some great match-ups on court, it was St Andrews finalists Lenard Sobieracki and Justus Frenz that took the title in the men's event. In the women's event, Gillian Lyall and Agata Zaremba joined forces once again to narrowly take the women's title ahead of Cathy Smy and Lilian Lieber. As the tour rounded off the summer in Broughty Ferry, Graham Riddle had secured the title of
Scottish Men's Beach Volleyball Champion for 2014. In the women's event, Gillian Lyall and Agata Zaremba together became the joint Scottish Women's Beach Volleyball Champions. On the coach education side, we had top former Greek international and coach, Vangelis Koutouleas came and deliver a beach volleyball clinic at St Andrews in late May, in which beach coaches and players alike had a chance to pick his brains and see how he coaches the game. In August, Morph Bowes, now Head Coach with the Dutch Beach Volleyball squad, came back to his homeland to present his coaching philosophy and clinic. We are very grateful to both coaches for taking giving their time to help Scottish Volleyball. The end of the beach season saw Scotland host their very first International Beach Volleyball event at Portobello Beach in September 2014. With Sky Sports on board, the 5000+ spectators were treated to some top level beach volleyball in a brilliant atmosphere. To top it all off, Scotland women qualified for Round 3 by taking runners-up spot in the women's competition, while the men's squad won the event! A fantastic achievement by all who helped organise the event and to the army of volunteers to helped make it happen. A big thanks to the SVA Office for all their hard work again this year, to the organisers of all of the events, to the referees and all who participated. Looking forward to seeing you all on the sand in the Scottish Beach Volleyball Tour 2015! Colin Paterson President, Beach Commission
Scottish Beach Volleyball Tour 2014 Event
Men’sWinners
Women’s Winners
Grampian Open
Barry McGuigan & Graham Riddle Barry McGuigan & Graham Riddle Konrad Krawczyk & Przemek Bratkowski Graham Riddle Mariusz Chudzik & Jaroslaw Pasko Barry McGuigan & Graham Riddle Barry McGuigan & Graham Riddle
Gillian Lyall & Agata Zaremba Gillian Lyall & Agata Zaremba Agata Zaremba & Lillian Lieber Sondrea Larsen Gillian Lyall & Claire Ramage Lilian Lieber & Cathy Smy Gillian Lyall & Agata Zaremba
Championship event - Portobello (NUVOC) Championship event - St Andrews King & Queen of the Beach Championship event - Troon Jets Open Championship event - Broughty Ferry
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S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
2014 – 2015
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C O A C H E S C O M M I S S I O N R E P O RT
Coaches Commission Report This has been an exciting year for the Coaches Commission with Danny Traylor joining the Commission and adding his experience and insight to the development processes. Coach Education and Development is consistently one of the main elements of the SVA’s development strategy. The Coaches Commission is charged with the responsibility for constructing and delivering development programmes, and monitoring their success. The Coaches Commission was very active in supporting the new Coaching Manager Ioannis Panayiotakis delivering against the targets that were agreed and continuing the excellent and collective work of Scottish Volleyball’s coach education. The following is a snapshot of some of the events and achievements for 2014 – 2015:
• • • • • • • • • •
2014 – 2015 Female Coaching apprenticeship system development There have been five level I UKCC courses held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oban and Dundee There were two very successful UKCC level II courses presented in Aberdeen and Glasgow There was an SVA Level III award presented at Ravenscraig, which was aligned with the men's National Team Christmas Camp There have been 10 one day Introduction to Coaching Volleyball courses presented in various locations. There were 10 Continuous Personal Development opportunities on various topics; highlights included John Lyle’s fascinating delivery on ‘Game on’ match coaching, and the ‘Fuelling performance’ and ‘Strength and Conditioning’ workshops There was a series of Coach Education courses delivered for Trainee Teachers at Strathclyde University. The return of the Fast-Track programme with Thomas Dowens, which was very well received by both coaches and participants The successful introduction of the pilot programme ‘Regional development day: a community of practice’ at Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh Coach of the Year Awards went to Martyn Johnstone and Iain Parker.
I would like to thank the members of the Coaches Commission, the staff tutors and the SVA Office staff for all their support. A special thanks to Ewen Cameron, sportscotland Partnership Manager for all his assistant throughout the year.
Thomas Dowens President Coaches Commission
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S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
2014 – 2015
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C O M P E T I T I O N S R E P O RT
Competitions Report After the 2014/15 Season, the Competitions Advisory Group (CAG) recognised the fantastic work being done in clubs with the number of cases remaining at a low volume due to sound club administration. After consultation with members at the Stronger Clubs seminar – August 2014, the SVA Board has agreed to the implementation of changes within the National League Competitions for season 2015/2016. CAG successfully dealt with 11 cases within the National League and Cup competitions. The CAG consisted of 13 SVA members, which ensures a much broader range of areas covered within the group. I must personally thank all the CAG members for their commitment and hard work over this season. Their work is valued as it allows the competitions to run much more smoothly. Overall, the National League had 29 teams competing over 4 Divisions and there were 43 entries into all Scottish Cup competitions. We also seen a 300% increase in teams entering the Women’s Regional League which boasted finalists from the Universities of Dundee, Abertay & Glasgow Caledonian, NUVOC, Perth, City of Edinburgh and Scotstoun VC. The Special Events Commission delivered some fantastic events this year in conjunction with the CAG. The Finals Weekend was spectacular and only strengthens the vision of Scottish Volleyball and its reputation.
Competition Winners
National League Men’s Division 1 – South Ayrshire VC Men’s Division 2 – NUVOC VC Women’s Division 1 – City of Edinburgh VC Women’s Division 2 – NUVOC VC
Scottish Cups Men’s Scottish Cup – Glasgow Mets VC Women’s Scottish Cup – City of Edinburgh VC Men’s Thistle Bowl – South Ayrshire VC Women’s Thistle Bowl – QTS Kyle TA Men’s Scottish Plate – Su Ragazzi II VC Women’s Scottish Plate – Su Ragazzi II VC
The Playoffs Men’s Division 1 – Glasgow Mets VC Women’s Division 1 – City of Edinburgh VC Men’s Division 2 – NUVOC VC Women’s Division 2 – NUVOC VC
John Syer Top Teams Cup Men’s – Glasgow Mets VC Women’s – Su Ragazzi VC
Scottish District Cup Winners – Scotstoun VC Men’s Regional League Winners – Scotstoun VC Women’s Regional League Winners – NUVOC VC Martyn Johnstone Competitions and Performance Officer
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S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
2014 – 2015
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I N T E R N AT I O N A L S P E C I A L E V E N T S C O M M I S S I O N R E P O R T
International Special Events Commission Report
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S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
It has been an exceptionally busy and exciting year for the Special Events Commission and its volunteers with a number of national and international events as well as changes in Presidency and Commission members. After 8 months of Presidency, Brian Minikin had to stand down due to work commitments. We would sincerely like to thank him for all his hard work during this time, bolstered by his knowledge and experience in the sport. He remains a member of the Commission. In June 2014, the CEV SCD Women’s European Qualifiers was the first major event for a relatively new special events team. SVA staff, new Commission members, along with a large number of volunteers delivered this successful European event, the first in two years. The CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup held in September 2014 saw Scotland’s inaugural international beach championship, which was a major success with over 5000 spectators, SkySports coverage, as well as fantastic feedback from FIVB and CEV.
The commission effectively delivered the John Syer Trophy, Semi-finals and Playoffs. For the COCO5 finals weekend we created a partnership with Stirling University sports management masters students to improve the delivery of the event. The weekend relocated to CSE in Edinburgh University and saw the introduction of a Friday night international match, more entertainment and increased media coverage by social media, livestream and a radio station. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all Special Events Commission members, SVA Commission members, SVA staff and particularly all of our volunteers, for their contribution. Without them these events would not have been such a great success. The Commission is hoping to work more closely with beach, referees and students Commissions and is looking forward to another year of enhancing the reputation of Scottish Volleyball on the National and International stage and making Scottish Volleyball Bigger, Better, Stronger. Margaret Ann Fleming Chief Executive Officer
2014 – 2015
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R E F E R E E S C O M M I S S I O N R E P O RT
Referees Commission Report
Achievements
Introduction
1. Domestic Training Courses: • Grade 4, Grade 3, Grade 2 and Grade 1(completed matches), JNL award all took place in season 2014-15 • Referees supported a full Beach events programme through the summer
Referees Commission activities are designed to match the key performance indicators of the Scottish Volleyball Association development plan. In this, work focuses on the supply and training of officials. The broader work of the Commission focuses on domestic training Activities, the servicing of competitions and the writing of teaching materials.
2. Servicing of Competitions and Other Activities Appointments to League, Cup, Play-offs: Targets were met – matches were provided with referees as per regulations. Appointments to and servicing of other SVA Competitions and SVA Recognised Competitions: Targets met. Full credit is due to Brian McDougall for his efforts to appoint to all competitions, including university matches. Albert Jaster has done a lot of work to support Grade 4 courses and to find a fixed point in the calendar for them. Alice Stewart took charge of Grade 3; Remember that the practical part of Grade 3 can be in a variety of places and times to suit the candidates – training games, tournaments, proper matches (given enough notice to get an observer on site). The JNL referee course has again run successfully. Grant and Mike McConville ran a successful Grade 2 Course in May. 3. International Involvements Appointments to Internationals: Targets met: all internationals provided with referees, line judges and scorers and Technical Delegate, as required. Alice Stewart has done great work to train and to get line judges and scorers to this and other SVA events: Alice has now moved on from the Referees Commission, although she maintains her involvement in referee education; through this document we would like to thank her for all of her work over the past years.
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S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
5.Commission Responsibilities Brian McDougall, Alice Stewart and Albert Jaster are mentioned above. John Swan organised the Commission meetings and will look to develop further his experience as a Technical Delegate in the future. The Commission was lucky to gain the services of Dave Cormie and Jamie Salvin, who will take on responsibility for Volleyball and Beach Volleyball respectively. Jamie Salvin is now the link to the Beach Commission, taking over from Sue Kee, to whom thanks are due her work within the Commission over the years.
2014 – 2015
4. CEV/FIVB: International Referee administration and appointments/ Rules of the Game Commission/ World Championships Events. We have had Brian McDougall refereeing at the World League, and CEV Champions League and Sandy Steel as one of the participants in the Beach Referee Delegate’s Seminar in Switzerland, the IRCC Instructors Courses in Switzerland and Thailand, and as Course Instructor in two IRCCs – Volleyball in Serbia, and also in Zimbabwe. John Swan is now a CEV Technical Supervisor, as well as acting as Scotland Team Manager, and has received many nominations, including CEV Finals. Grant Macintyre has just completed a stint as referee in the SCD Internationals and will again act as Refereeing Delegate at UK Schools Games later this year, having successfully done this duty for the past three years.
Sandy Steel is in charge of Grade 1 and Elite schemes. He will also be the contact now for Grade 2. Grant Macintyre is Commission Vice-President. Alice Stewart coordinated the Training for Scottish NTOs. Well done and a big “thank you” to all those involved. Sandy Steel President, SVA Referees Commission
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S T U D E N T ( U N I V E R S I T I E S ) C O M M I S S I O N R E P O RT
Student (Universities) Commission Report As always the student volleyball season has been busy, with new teams being established in the college sector and fresh competitive opportunities opening up for Scottish teams through the newly established BUCS (British Universities & Colleges) Premier Leagues. The following is a summary of the activity and development within the student sector in 14/15.
Competition The range and extent of student involvement in SVA competition continues to develop, with student teams not only competing in their own leagues, but increasingly participating in district, regional and national cup competitions. Seven student teams competed in the SVA regional leagues this season, while there were also seven student teams involved in the Scottish Cup. This is an encouraging trend and is likely to continue, with college teams looking for appropriate competitive outlets for their newly established clubs. This season saw the inaugural BUCS Volleyball Premier Leagues established, providing a new top tier of student competition in Britain and it was encouraging to see three women’s (Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews) and two men’s (Edinburgh and Strathclyde) teams from Scotland competing at this level against top English student
There are now over forty student teams involved in student as well as local and national level competition within Scotland. This is an important and rich area of activity for the sport and one which is certain to grow in coming years with the further development of the sport in the college sector. The Scottish Student Sport (SSS) Beach Championship held at St Andrews on 2nd May had an entry of over one hundred and forty competitors - with thirteen 4-a-side recreational teams and nineteen men’s and sixteen women’s pairs: a record for any beach event in Scotland. The student sector contains some excellent overseas beach players and some of the play in the event was of the highest calibre. Work is ongoing to encourage some of these players to participate in the Scottish Beach Tour later in the summer. Key student competition results are outlined below:
Competition
Placing
Men
BUCS Tier 1
Winners Runner Up Winners Runners Up Winners
University of Glasgow University of Aberdeen Heriot Watt University University of Stirling University of Abertay
BUCS Tier 2 BUCS Conference Cup
Runners Up Winners Runners Up SSS Beach Championship Winners National College Finals
Runners Up
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teams. Congratulations go to St Andrews and Edinburgh women for finishing a creditable seventh and fifth respectively in the BUCS Championship. The opportunity for young and developing Scottish players to have additional competition opportunities against some of the best players in Britain is invaluable, as is the melting pot of nationalities and volleyball backgrounds that student volleyball provides.
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
Women
Heriot Watt University University of Strathclyde Glasgow Caledonian Heriot Watt University Glasgow Caledonian University University of Strathclyde II University of Abertay Ayrshire College Edinburgh College Dundee & Angus College Ayrshire College K Baumanis & P Rosso H Berwian & E Fox (University of Strathclyde) (University of St Andrews) V Vasilev & D Repecka P Vlaserou & E Tasouli (University of Glasgow) (Glasgow Caledonian University )
Volunteer Development
Volleyball activity within the college sector continues to develop, with increased activity taking place in institutions such as Ayrshire and Dundee & Angus Colleges, both of which entered the SSS Cup for the first time this season. Recreational activity is also on the increase, with recreation festivals being held in the East, West and Tayside & Fife regions. Links being made with local district leagues will see increased college involvement in this level of competition
The student sector is a rich source of enthusiastic volunteers and the support and development of these individuals is important for the overall health of the sport in Scotland. The Grade 4 Refereeing Course, delivered in partnership with SSS as part of the “Reffin’ Brilliant” initiative in October, was fully subscribed with twenty candidates. Two of these new officials went on to successfully pass their Grade 3 assessment in April. This was followed in January by “Coaching Brilliant” - another partnership course with SSS – which saw eleven students successfully gain a UKCC Level 1 coaching qualification.
Representative Volleyball In the continued absence of English student competition, the SSS men’s and women’s representative squads, comprising the best student players in tertiary education, again sought appropriate competition elsewhere. The women’s squad competed in the John Syer Trophy before Christmas before facing the national junior squad in a challenge match in April, which they won 3 – 1. This was followed by a challenge match against the senior national team as part of their preparations for the CEV Small Countries Division Final, providing the national squad with some valuable match practice. A strong men’s squad also took on the Scottish Young Seniors in April, defeating their younger opponents 3 – 0. They followed this a week later with two challenge matches against Scottish Cup winners Glasgow Mets, going down 3 – 0 in both matches, but profiling the strength and potential of the student game. Sincere thanks go to both Tom Rooney (women) and Graeme Spowart (men) for their excellent work in selecting and preparing these squads.
2014 – 2015
College Sector Development
Graduating students make a significant contribution to community volleyball clubs and the development of key qualities and skills whilst they are at university and college is a valuable and important investment in the continued development of volleyball in Scotland.
Summary Volleyball in the student sector is currently a real growth area of the sport, with 47 teams now involved in student competition. Thanks must go to the enthusiastic and committed student volunteers who put so much of their time and energy into the sport. Paul McPate President, Students Commission
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Y O U T H A N D S C H O O L S C O M M I S S I O N R E P O RT
Youth & Schools Commission Report Thank you to the Commission members who dedicate their time to the development of youth Volleyball in Scotland. At times it has been a challenge to get us all round the table as regularly as we would like due to everyone’s volleyball activity, therefore other means of communication have been adopted to reach decisions, and we appreciate everyone’s efforts. It was a pleasure to have our new Regional Development Officers Lynne Beattie and Andrew Fleming join our commission meeting in August to initiate discussions and get a feel for what we do. They have undertaken some fantastic work for the benefit of youngsters in our sport in their short time with the association. JNL continued with U18 this season. However, the commission and decided to change the U15 age group to U16 with a view to increasing teams and reducing the competitive gap. For 2014/15 the competition attracted a total of 27 teams. The Junior Super Cup is now in its third year and had 4 boys teams and 9 girls teams this year. The Scottish Schools Cup continued to attract many schools with 48 teams entered across the P7/S1, S2/3 & S4/5/6 year groups. Thank you to John French, Airdrie Academy and Calderhead High School for accommodating this year’s finals and allowing another great spectacle with a high standard of play and excellent support. National School Festivals took place up and down the country which saw schools from Stromness to Moffat participate in the festivals on offer which equated to 359 teams; a total of 1576 children. Once again, juniors undertook officiating qualifications this season to increase the bank of qualified referees delivering at JNL. There were also several juniors who took the first step on the coaching ladder by sitting their
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S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
Introductory Award, UKCC Level I or UKCC Level II. Well done to all involved. Across all competitions and events, there are a significant number of people who are involved as volunteers and/or hosts to make these opportunities happen, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all they do. This includes the many parents who loyally transport and support their children at Volleyball. Congratulations to Euan Gibson, City of Edinburgh Volleyball Club and Lisa Thomson, Marr College who were both worthy winners of the Youth & Schools Commission Young Volunteer of the Year award which is in place to recognise the outstanding work by our young people. They were presented with their awards, by Maria Bertelli and Graeme Spowart, at the Sainsbury’s School Games. The 2014 School Games took place in Manchester where Scotland was represented by 48 athletes and 12 coaches. The games are a replica of an event such as the Olympics and are designed to give athletes their first experience of a major multisports event. Congratulations to Scotland East Girls who finished in 4th place, Scotland East Boys with Bronze medals, Scotland West Girls with Silver medals and Scotland West Boys with Silver medals also – a fantastic result from all squads. The athletes were an absolute credit to their country, school, club, family and themselves and made a significant amount of progress over the course of the preparations and competition. The Y&S Commission will continue to build for the future of Volleyball in line with the SVA 2013-17 Strategic Plan Members: Heather Darling (President), Graeme Spowart, Jess Reid, Liam Fleming, Robert Micallef-Eynaud, Claire Crowe, Tom Rooney, Ian Brownlee, Jennifer Henderson.
Heather Darling President, Youth & Schools Commission
2014 – 2015
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S E N I O R B E A C H N AT I O N A L T E A M S R E P O R T
Senior Beach National Teams Report In late 2013, we expressed an interest in the CEV Continental Cup Beach Volleyball Competition, which is a qualifier for the Olympics in Rio 2016. So, in early 2014 we appointed Mel Coutts and Colin Paterson as Head Coaches for the Women's and Men's squads respectively and set to work delivering a training programme for players, with the target of performing in Round 1, in Slovenia, in June 2014. After much hard work, the players selected for the men's team were Graham Riddle, Barry McGuigan, Seain Cook and Robin Miedzybrodzki and the women's selections were Shauna Mullin, Anneka Hastings, Gillian Lyall and Lynne Beattie. Slovenia had a good setup with 2 courts really close to the hotel. Both men and women overcame Northern Ireland in their first rounds. Then came the tournament favourites, Norway. Both men's and women's teams showed some fantastic fighting spirit and some tremendous play, however consistency paid off for Norway and they won all four matches.
The crowd for the Men's final was just as vocal and Scotland narrowly missed out on taking the match 2-0 with Riddle and McHardy losing out to the Irish first team. Cook and Miedzybrodzki stepped up to win the Golden Match 27-25, 2118 and the tournament. The whole weekend was amazing for the sport and really showcased Beach Volleyball to the Scottish people.
To stay in the competition, both men’s and women's teams had to beat Belgium, who were unbeaten at this stage. Scotland played really well again, however the Belgian’s greater experience proved too much. For some, this was their first taste of International Beach Volleyball. All our teams came away from the event with a smile on their faces.... and wanting more!
This put both men's and women's teams into Round 3, which was in Austria in May 2015. Russia were our first opponents and with Barry McGuigan returning to the squad, Riddle and McGuigan played fantastically well against the European No. 7 seeds, although they lost 2-0. Cook and Miedzybrodzki narrowly lost their first set 22-20 to the World Tour Russians, and lost the second set 21-15. Scotland's women also lost both their matches 2-0 to Russia, but the squads had changed dramatically with Mel Coutts turning from coach to player, following recovery from a knee operation. Ioannis Panayiotakis taking over as coach. Mel teamed up with Lynne Beattie and Gillian Lyall played with the youngster, Katie Barbour.
For the second round, nations were asked to bid to host the event. If insufficient bids came forward, a country would be assigned by drawing of lots. Scotland was drawn to host! It was a shock at first, but the willingness and enthusiasm of everyone involved was incredible! Sky Sports televised the event.; we had approximately 5000 people through the gates during the weekend. The weather was amazing for us, not to mention the quality of play.
A win in the next match meant qualification to round 4 of the Continental Cup. Unfortunately, the men couldn't squeeze past a well drilled Ukranian squad, however the women had a chance, with Coutts and Beattie defeating the Bulgarian second team 24-22. 21-10. This set up a Golden Match against the Bulgarian first team and Coutts and Beattie won it over a tense 3 sets. A tremendous achievement! Scotland progress to Round 4 sometime in the Autumn 2015.
Jamie McHardy was the only addition to the Round 1 team selection. Riddle and McHardy played really well against the Slovakians, but lost narrowly 15-13 in the third set. Cook and Miedzybrodzki had earlier won their first match in 3 sets and now had to win the decider against the Slovakian first team, which they did, to the home crowd's delight.
It has been a tremendous two years for Scotland and we hope this will continue to develop good players and coaches, both at senior and junior levels as there are many more opportunities for Scotland to compete at beach volleyball on the international scene.
In the women's draw, Scotland easily beat Northern Ireland and England beat Ireland. The
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final was tense. England's Jess Grimson and Vicky Palmer beat Mullin and Hastings, while Beattie and Lyall beat Kaashoek and Lazard, setting up a thrilling 'Golden Match'. The more experienced Grimson and Palmer stepped up for England and Coach Coutts made the decision to split up the pairings and played the two Olympians together - Beattie and Mullin. The decision was a good one and almost paid off, but Grimson and Palmer took it 22-20, 21-17.
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
Colin Paterson Men's Beach Volleyball Head Coach Ioannis Panayiotakis Women's Beach Volleyball Head Coach
2014 – 2015
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S E N I O R W O M E N ’ S N AT I O N A L T E A M P R O G R A M M E
Senior Women’s National Team Programme There are no guarantees in performance sport other than the higher up the slope you climb the tougher it becomes. That has certainly been true of the Senior Women’s National Team Programme over the past 12 months. It all began with the challenge of trying to qualify for the CEV European Championships Small Countries Division Final back in June 2014. Such occasions are special but in this instance it took on even greater significance as the players were to perform in front of a home support at Bells Sports Centre, Perth. The event itself was spectacular with the SVA’s Special Events Commission pulling out all the stops to put on a show that everyone raved about. The players themselves responded to the challenge and produced three solid performances against Malta, Northern Ireland and Ireland winning each one 3-0 and giving the home crowd something to cheer about. The win over Ireland clinched qualification to the Final in Liechtenstein in 2015 but the final match, against reigning champion Cyprus, would go a long way to indicate the progress that the Programme had made. The match itself was of the highest caliber with both teams playing a level of volleyball that many people quite simply did not expect. While Scotland battled valiantly and matched the Cypriots in the serve-pass battle it was at the net where they lost out as Cyprus came through to win the match 3-1 and top the group. However, the players were not disheartened because they knew they had pushed Cyprus close and that there would be a further opportunity to lock horns in the Final itself. Reflecting on the aftermath of the qualification tournament it was clear that our focus needed to shift towards the net battle. In other words, if we were to overcome Cyprus in the future then we would have to be able to match them and even surpass them at the net. In 2011 we stated that by 2021 the Scotland Senior Women’s National Team would be
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competing consistently at the equivalent of ‘B’ Division level. We identified five incremental steps that we believed would allow us to achieve this target. By reaching the 2013 Final we had successfully negotiated step one. Step two was to finish in the top two in the 2015 Final. As well as focusing on the net battle we also acknowledged that in order to increase our chances of finishing first or second we would need to do even more in terms of our preparation. This meant looking outside of the practice environment at other factors that could help ready us for what lay ahead. We drew upon the expertise of a number of providers including Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and Sports Psychology who all contributed over the course of the season to build and refine the Programme even further. We began to develop strategies, which were designed to improve the players’ opportunities to perform by making them more robust both physically and mentally. The demands on the players were even greater than in the past. They were asked to pay more attention to the detail of what they did both in and outside of practice. They were challenged to think more about what they needed to do in order to be successful in the Final. The slope towards that success just got steeper and tougher. The one area where we felt a little exposed in was competitive opportunities. We did manage to return to play Team Northumbria in the New Year but our attempts to fix up competition with European based opposition all fell through. This left us with the slightly nagging doubt in our minds – would we be match ready by the time the Final came around? Then we had the added complication of finding out that the Finals were to be held almost six weeks earlier than we had anticipated. However, we were slightly comforted by the fact that the players would be coming off the back of Championship deciders, Play-offs and Cup Finals and would, hopefully, be involved in a period of intense domestic play.
The support required to reach this stage is considerable and our thanks go the SVA for its continued support both from a financial and administrative perspective. Equally we would like to express our gratitude to the wider Scottish Volleyball community, which continues to support us in numerous ways. We are indebted to the staff who provided the ‘additional’ support through Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and Sports Psychology and who shared our belief in what we were trying to achieve.
Thanks too must go to the Coaching and Management staff, who put in far more hours than the practice schedule demands. Without this commitment and dedication the Programme would struggle to make progress. And finally - the players. It has been said on many occasions that while 12 players may end up being selected for any given event this is simply a snapshot of the total work that every squad member, past and present, has contributed over the past four years. No praise is high enough for the way in which they have all embraced the vision and represented the SVA. Above all we should acknowledge what they have done to raise the profile of the Women’s game not only in Scotland but on the international court as well. The CEV European Championship Small Countries Division Finals 2015 provides us with the next opportunity to underline this.
2014 – 2015
And so the scene was set for the next stage in the journey to our 2021 Vision. It had been another tough twelve months that had not been without ups and downs but, as the Finals in Liechtenstein from 15-17 May loomed on the horizon, we believed we were ready to step up. With Cyprus, Luxembourg, the Faroe Islands and Liechtenstein standing between us and our goal, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The slope was most certainly becoming steeper.
Craig Faill Woman’s National Team Head Coach
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S E N I O R M E N ’ S N AT I O N A L T E A M R E P O R T 28
Senior Men’s National Team Report The senior programme commenced with the qualifier for the Small Countries Division Final. This took place in Iceland in June 2014. We had to finish 1st or 2nd in our group to qualify for the final, which was to take place in Luxembourg in June 2015. We duly achieved this by beating Iceland 3:0 ensuring 2nd place in our group, although we did lose 3:0 to Luxembourg, which kept us off the top of the group. It was in late summer 2014 that Interim Head Coach, Gordon Welsh resigned from his role, to be replaced by Thomas Dowens. This created an opportunity for a change in the structure of the National Team Programme. It was decided that the way forward was to make a combined programme incorporating the Senior Men and the YS Men, with the staff group working to agreed aims. The preparation programme for Luxembourg began in November 2014, at the Emirates Stadium in Glasgow, where players were invited to attend or were nominated by their club coach. This original group numbered 28, which included the players who were based abroad. Further sessions took place through November and December at Emirates and the Forrester/St Augustine campus in Edinburgh. The year ended with a highly successful Christmas Camp, over 4
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
days at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Centre in Motherwell. The camp focussed on key themes, which included precision in all aspects of the game and particularly on ball control. The insistence on precision would provide an entry point to higher level of play. The technical focus was on blocking and the mental focus was on clarifying the different roles in the block defence system. Also at the camp there was in depth discussion of the key outcomes of the sports psychology exercises, which were completed by the players in the lead up to the camp. Further squad sessions took place in February and March 2015, and in April we held a very successful 3 team tournament at St Augustine’s in Edinburgh. The Programme will carry on to the Small Countries Final in June 2015 with players and staff in a range of development activities. The Programme will total 23 days when completed. Everyone is looking forward to the challenge of the SCD Finals, and the hope that we will bring back a medal, perhaps emulating the YS Squad who won Gold in the 2014 under 20 men’s championship also in Luxembourg!
John Swan Team Manager, Senior Men National Team
2014 – 2015
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Y O U N G S E N I O R W O M E N ’ S N AT I O N A L T E A M R E P O R T
Junior Women's Volleyball Flourishing The junior women's game in Scotland continues to flourish both in terms of numbers and quality. Record Numbers A record number of 19 teams competed in the Junior National League and many of these players and their recent alumni are now gracing the game at Junior Regional Level ( UK School Games Squads), Junior International Level, and in the Universities Leagues, Senior National Leagues and the Scotland Senior Women's squad. The Role of The Young Senior Women's Training Group The Young Senior Women's training group has undoubtedly played a significant part in this growth through its programme, which tries to involve many young players from every club in the SVA's membership. This year over 80 athletes took part in junior international training opportunities which ranged from a number of one day sessions, a camp in the summer at Glenalmond School and another in the Central Belt before Xmas, a trip to Manchester (to the outstanding Tameside junior club) and of course the summer long preparation by the West of Scotland and the East of Scotland squad before the UK school games in Manchester 2014. Playing Opportunities and a Rise in Performance The continued rise in performance can be measured in the performances and results at the UK SG's in September 2014 when the Scotland junior women had their best series of results yet with the West of Scotland girls under the coaching team of Jess Reid, Jillian Galloway
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and Linda Anderson defeating the full England team to secure a runner's up spot. The Scotland East girls also finished in a very creditable fourth place. In addition, prior to heading to the UK Games a YS squad had competed exceptionally well in a top class Senior Women's tournament in Perth at the Scottish Open. At Tameside, at New Year 2015, the 24 players who played in our 2 teams had their best set of results yet in what has now become an annual trip and the team also had an outstanding performance against the Scottish Students at Easter 2015. Those who watched the Junior National League Play Offs and Super Cup Finals 2015 will surely testify to the continued rise in standard of this group of players. If further evidence is needed of the quality that is coming through from the Junior Game in Scotland, of the top 3 women's sides in this years Senior National League 50% of the players in their squads were very recent graduates from the Scotland Younger Senior Women's set up. Epitomising what can be achieved by individuals, Mhairi Agnew who is still young enough to play young senior volleyball was outstanding for Scotland's very successful women's team at the recent SC Euro Championship finals. Looking Ahead We are now heading towards a period of significant preparation and competition. It is planned to send two teams to the Scottish Open in June 2015 and preparation is starting for the Sainsbury's UK School Games which will be in Manchester again this year in September and then we move on to European Championship Qualifiers in December at which we plan to retain our 100% medal winning record.
The group normally accommodates players in the 13 to 18 age group. The Much Merited Plaudits Finally, as usual there are so many people to thank for our continued success: The players, their devoted parents and guardians; the
invaluable assistance of the staff at the Scottish Volleyball Association and its foresight with regards to international competitive opportunities; the club and school coaches who are bringing their enthusiasm and quality to the game and who as a result are bringing so many young players in to their training groups; and very specifically the coaches and managers of the UK School Games Groups - Jess Reid, Jillian Galloway, Linda Anderson , Aileen Hall and Jen Henderson - and the Scotland Young Senior Women's staff Tom Rooney and Aileen Hall.
2014 – 2015
New Opportunities We strongly stress that there are now new training opportunities for any athlete of whatever volleyball level to try out for this year's UK School Games or just to get themselves in to the programme for personal improvement or to train for future events. So, we would ask young athletes, their coaches and their parents to look at the series of training days advertised on the Scottish Volleyball website.
Without all of you we would not be making our current remarkable progress and I thank you all for your considerable contributions. Vince Krawczyk Head Coach, Young Senior Women Team
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Y O U N G S E N I O R M E N ’ S N AT I O N A L T E A M R E P O R T
YS National Team Programme 2014-2015 Last April, the Scotland Men’s U20 team took to the arena at Le Coque Stadium in Luxembourg to compete for the honour of becoming the CEV Small Countries Division Champions. This they did in style, with three hard fought wins against tough opposition from Luxembourg, Northern Ireland and Wales to become champions for the first time in Scottish Volleyball history. This was a huge success for all concerned, and what a tremendous spring board for the start of the next two year cycle. In November 2014, the combined national team squad was established consisting of three groups; The ‘Senior Squad’ comprising the senior national team training squad members, the ‘Junior Squad’ a merging of the existing cadets and juniors from the previous programme and the establishment of the new ‘Development Squad’. These groups made up the National Team Combined Programme. Training sessions for the combined squad were held in two court venues to allow integration of the work the teams were doing, while permitting direct communication between the various members of the coaching staff. There was an element of mentoring too by the senior players. Head Coach Thomas Dowens has worked tirelessly with the players and YS coaches delivering the programme to bring the best out in the young players. Almost all sessions have been delivered in two court venues, which has created a great atmosphere within the group at training and has allowed for the senior and junior players to mix well. The programme culminated in a series of matches for teams selected from the squad of 23 players. The first outing was in Ayrshire, where a red team and a blue team competed against Shetland and South Ayrshire. This was
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followed with a single team playing a friendly against the Scottish Students during cup final weekend. Both of these opportunities helped the coaching staff determine the next steps for the group and the final end of season tournament had, once again, two teams competing in a five team tournament with Shetland, Su Ragazzi and the Development Squad team. The young lads showed a great deal of resilience during this high level tournament and the thoughts of the coaching staff are very positive as we head into the second year of the build up to the finals next spring. The members of staff in the programme have been excellent, giving their best to keep the group fit, motivated and continuously improving. Kenny Watt has done a fantastic job of dealing with various injuries, but more importantly has established an ethos of physical development and warming up aimed at minimising the risk of those injuries. Doug Crockart joined the staff group for the juniors to complement Simon Coleman and Bill Stobie, all under the direction of Thomas Dowens. It has been a great team effort this year and we look forward to re-starting it after the school games summer programme. Thomas Dowens Head Coach, Young Senior Men National Team
Staff Group of combined programme; Head Coach Team Manager Senior Squad Team Manager YS Squad Coach Senior Squad Coach YS squad Assistant Coach Senior Squad Assistant Coach Senior Squad Assistant Coach YS Squad Physiotherapist Combined Squad
Thomas Dowens John Swan Bill Stobie John Scrimgeour Simon Coleman Eng Boo Teoh Ian Cook Doug Crockart Kenny Watt
2014 – 2015
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S TAT I S T I C A L R E P O R T 34
Statistical Report 2014-2015 In Summary, the affiliated and active members of our Association as at 30 April 2015 is as follows:Affiliated Clubs
77
Registered Teams
223
Affiliated Schools
65
Senior Membership
1292
Junior/School Membership
684
Associate Membership
205
Qualified Coaches Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 UKCC
Male 2 503 51 33 9 13 206
Female 2 332 32 23 2 1 140
Registered Coaches
130
77
Qualified Referees International Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Beach Grade 2 Beach Grade 3 Beach Grade 4 Junior
Male 4 7 27 48 280 3 1 4 61
Female 0 0 8 30 262 3 0 3 87
Registered Referees
98
79
Player Registration Division 1 Division 2 University District (Senior & Junior) Junior Regional
Male 77 114 225 235 56 119
Female 63 74 263 253 178 102
Sub Totals
826
933
Total Player Registrations
1759
S C O T T I S H V O L L E Y B A L L A S S O C I AT I O N
Men 211 50
Female 113 50
Total 324 100 88
School Festivals P5/P7 P7/S1 S2/S3 S4/5/6
Number of Teams 23 112 164 60
Number of Players 56 355 713 452
Scottish School Cup P7/S1 S2/S3 S4/5/6
Number of Teams 14 18 16
Number of Players 70 108 144
A N N U A L R E P O RT 2 0 1 4 TO 2 0 1 5
2014 – 2015
Beach (over 6 beach tours) 2V2 Junior 4-a-side
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BIGGER • BETTER • STRONGER
Scottish Volleyball Association, 48 The Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ Telephone: 0131 556 4633 Fax: 0131 557 4314 Email: info@scottishvolleyball.org www.scottishvolleyball.org
Scottish Volleyball Association