SPIKE IN VOLLEYBALL NUMBERS AS SCHOOLS CUP BOOMS
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December 19, 2011: As 2011 comes to close and the eve of another Olympic year creeps closer and closer, Volleyball Australia is experiencing a mini boom – and it’s in the schools where the sport has experienced its biggest spike.
Volleyball has undergone some major changes within the last 12 months and already the improvement in existing programs and new initiatives has seen a 23 percent growth in membership.
As the Volleyball Team Australia Men and Australia’s Beach Volleyballers mount their campaigns for places in next year’s London 2012 Olympics, the next generation is improving at a rate of knots with South Australia’s Brighton Secondary School crowned as the Champion School at the recent 28th Volleyball Schools Cup in Melbourne.
“We’re getting out amongst the people, the schools, the communities and spreading the word about Volleyball both indoor and on the beach and we are very excited about our increase in numbers,” Volleyball Australia Federation CEO Joan Perry, said today.
“And in particular at a grass roots and schools level where we are seeing enormous growth and enthusiasm for the sport, especially in the Special Interest and High Performance Volleyball schools who lead the way in our schools program.
“Volleyball Australia received a one off grant of $300,000 from the Federal Government to help us develop plans to increase our participation and we are delighted with the results across the board.
“Volleyball has already demonstrated a 23 percent increase in membership in the past 12 months and we expect that growth to continue again over the next year and in years to come.
“One school principal summed it up perfectly when he said that 15 percent of his students played Volleyball and valued the opportunity to work with outstanding coaches to develop not only their volleyball skills, but leadership, teamwork, persistence and resilience.”
Mrs Perry, who has worked hard to inject enthusiasm in both Indoor and Beach Volleyball on the sports-mad Australian calendar, said the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup, which has recently attracted 465 teams to Melbourne for its 28th National Championships, has played a key role in increasing those participation numbers.
“The Australian Volleyball Schools Cup always been a very popular tournament and this year was certainly no exception with extraordinary numbers resulting in a 10 percent growth from teams from every State in Australia plus teams from New Zealand and Japan with Hiroshima actually winning the girls tournament.
“But because it is in the rules that overseas teams cannot win the “Australian Title” the girls open honours trophy was presented to Brisbane’s Holland Park State High, which started a Volleyball Development program in 2001 and has run a High Performance Program since 2007.
“Brighton Secondary School, which started its Special Interest Volleyball program back in 1994, were awarded the silver medal with fellow South Australia SIV school and one of the most successful schools in our history, Heathfield High School taking the bronze.
“In the Open Boys, Victoria’s leading Volleyball school, Billanook College took out the gold medal with Brighton (SA) the silver and Eltham (VIC) the bronze, while Brighton Secondary School won the overall school trophy which is determined by a school’s best six performances across all age groups and divisions.
“Looking at the enormous success of The Australian Volleyball Schools Cup we are not only excited about its growth but we are already looking forward to what will be an event bigger year in 2012 and 2013.”
The 28th Australian Volleyball Schools Cup saw:
134 schools across Australia (156 from Victoria; 114 SA; 87 QLD; 52 WA; 32 NSW; 11 ACT; 7 NZ; 5 TAS; 1 JPN
465 teams
235 girls teams
230 boys teams
4,100 athletes
5,200 people (including coaches and managers)
2,062 matches
400 matches per day
Held across 42 courts
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Joan Perry | Chief Executive Officer
Volleyball Australia
196 Mouat St. | Lyneham ACT 2602
PO Box 3323 | Belconnen ACT 2617
M. +61 (0) 418 424 586
P. +61 (2) 6247 6633 | F. +61 (2) 6247 6722
E. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | W. avf.org.au