Not in a galaxy far, far away - Darkstar

Tell us a bit about your club, history, achievement over the years.

Darkstar volleyball was established on Sept 29th 2011, the founding members welcomed and directed new players into the sports hall of a local school and the first session was underway! We started with only a few members but quite soon word got around that Derby now had it’s very own volleyball club for the first time in over 10 years, and those volleyballer players who had been travelling across the midlands and even further could spend less time travelling and more time on court.

The club entered teams in the East Midlands Regional League and by Christmas 2011 membership had grown enough to establish separate men’s and women’s training sessions. In that very first season the women’s team, Venus I became league champions, securing their place firmly in the NVL for season 2012/13, they were also joined by the Darkstar Men’s team, Mars I.

By Aug 2012 DARKSTAR introduced a recreational session and in September 2012 the junior section of the club was set up and created links with local schools, East Midlands clubs and regional squads.

The club continued to grow and by season 2012/13 Venus II and Mars II were established, and links with the University of Derby the DARKSTAR Team Derby were soon to follow.

In 2016 we were delighted to welcome the Team GB 2012 Head Coach Audrey Cooper and Team GB and international player Maria Bertelli as club head coaches. Their track record speaks for itself and it has provided us with great some fantastic opportunities both on and off court. We are all excited for the coming season, especially as Venus I are current champions of the NVL Division 1 and are looking forward to promotion to the Super League!  

Current Teams
DARKSTAR Women Venus I
DARKSTAR Men Mars I

DARKSTAR Women Venus II

DARKSTAR Men Mars II
DARKSTAR Team Derby – 2 men and 2 women’s teams and recreational
DARKSTAR Juniors – 20 (mixed boys and girls)

DARKSTAR Volleyball train and play at the University of Derby and Derby Moor Community School and provide opportunities for all to play from juniors through to adults, absolute beginners to National League players

Juniors (11-17yrs): DARKSTAR Juniors 5:30pm-7:00pm
Adults 2nd/3rd Teams: DARKSTAR Derbyshire Thur 7pm-9:30pm
Adults 1st Team: DARKSTAR Derbyshire Tues 7pm-10p

Club Achievements:

2011-12 East Midlands Women's Regional League Champions
2014-15 Volleyball England Women's National League - Division 3 Champions
2015-16 Volleyball England Men's National League - Division 3 Champions
East Midlands Women's Regional League Champions
East Midlands Men's Regional League - Division 2 Champions

2019/20 – Volleyball England Women’s NVL Division 1 Champions

2019/20 – Women’s National Shield Finalists

How has the COVID 19 impacted on your club? In addition to not playing and training are there other ways you have been impacted?

Completely out of our hands and, as I’m sure many clubs have experienced too, the abrupt end of the season meant we were unprepared to provide the level of support we usually do for our members. We are a social group of people and had match weekends, league title and shield finals to look forward to as well as the beach season and that was all taken away. The main thing is that we support those who need it and prepare for the future, thankfully Venus I were awarded the league title and we still may have a chance to play the Shield final so that’s great. The real impact will be seen when we begin our recovery and restart.

What have you been doing to keep in touch with you players/ members?

Going from around 10 training sessions per week across the club, and with a large member base of mixed abilities and ages it was difficult to establish the best way to keep in touch. Our coaching team meet (virtually) on a bi-weekly basis and we have team WhatsApp groups to keep in touch with players/parents. Following the initial shock and confusion in lockdown we discussed the best way to continue club activities in a virtual way, taking into account individual members circumstances and making sure we were there for them all. We’ve since established two fitness sessions every week via Zoom, which isn’t forced on anyone but they are really well attended, especially our session this week which was taken by Olympic GB captain Lynne Beattie and followed by a Q&A. We’ve also held quizzes and set challenges. Keeping a social media presence is vital and we’ve shared the load including passing the reins over to our juniors, they tend to be good at it!

Tells us about any of your clubs members who have gone above and beyond during this difficult time?

It would be unfair to single out only one, the whole coaching team and committee have been fantastic and we have spent our time wisely, planning ahead in preparation for when the time comes to get back on court – whether it’s beach or indoor. Players from all teams have contributed to challenges and it’s been a real whole club approach, which is really what we are all about.

What do you think will be the biggest challenges when returning to the court?

Adapting to any restrictions which may be enforced, such as social distancing, we will obviously be guided by the government and Volleyball England. Rebuilding squads, we are hopeful to retain most of our players but some of our players and students have returned their homes in other countries. Fitness and lockdown fatigue will be a consideration, depending on work commitments and individual personal circumstances, players will physically and mentally be in different places, coaches will need to take this into account. We’re aiming to hold an outdoor fundraising tournament late summer – if it’s safe to do so of course.

Whatever the challenge we can face it – and hopefully soon!

What support could the foundation offer clubs once the lockdown is over?

I think challenges will arise as we ease back into some new kind of normal, and any support will be welcomed. By providing advice and support to clubs to ensure we are update with the latest guidance from the government. Funding support for those clubs who need it, you have already circulated a lot of information which has been helpful. There are some positives to take moving forward in terms of being more tech aware, this could cut some costs in qualifications and meetings etc.

Season 2020/21 will be our 10 year anniversary and we have lots to look forward to, we’d be delighted to hear from any players looking to join us, from junior level through to NVL, please get in touch via email:  thesingularity@darkstarvolleyball.com.

Facebook message: https://www.facebook.com/DarkstarVolleyball/

Twitter Direct Message: https://twitter.com/darkstarvball

 Thank You Helen Britten - Coach Darkstar.