Ian Cooper on his Interesting Role as Volleyball England's Archivist

Ian Cooper certainly has an interesting role, with a wealth of knowledge as Volleyball England's Archivist. So, we thought it would be great to catch up with him, to find out more information about what he does...

What does your role entail?

"Maintaining the Volleyball Archive of international matches and player caps for both Volleyball England and GB Volleyball.

The archive also holds:

• Original international match scoresheets

• EVA/VE Match Record Forms – detailing key facts of each match

• Match programmes

• Match posters

• Head of Delegation Reports

• Squad documents

• AVA/EVA Magazines – almost a full set. “Time Out” now in electronic format

• AVA/EVA Game Rules, various publications and annual reports

• BVF/GB Squad match records as shown in the table below

• Assorted memorabilia”

The contents of the Archive (to March 2023) are:

How long have you done this role?

"The Volleyball Archive was set up by the English Volleyball Association in 1971. The first archivist was Bob Rhodes (Peterborough). I am the second and current archivist I took over from Bob in the late 1970’s. The associated BVF/GB Archive was created in 1990. The Scottish Volleyball Association has created its own archive with our help".

What challenges do you face?

"The main challenge is the regular change of squad managers/coaches and VE office staff changes. Lack of continuity and loss of knowledge of what the Archive is and how valuable it is to our sport means I have to regularly induct new staff into the Archive purpose and requirements. The second challenge is obtaining the hard copy scoresheets and match record form after international matches. Third challenge is obtaining player dates of birth and name changes (women). Everyone likes to play Volleyball but very few enjoy completing the administration behind the sport. The final challenge is to find archive storage for the many original scoresheets and documents I hold in my house. Several attempts have been made but to date all the paper is still in my house. VE urgently needs to preserve this original documentation in proper archive storage and possibly scanned onto electronic media for students and others to use".

What is your favourite thing about this role?

"Contact with players and people that I used to play against with Granwood Rockets and Preston Volleyball Clubs. Many retired players request a full listing of their international career which I am usually able to provide. Setting up and maintaining the Hall of Fame records is also enjoyable. I hope this can continue despite the problems at Kettering".

Do you have any advice for anyone who may be interested in doing a similar role?

"You need to be very methodical in collecting the original information after matches. Backing up the databases onto two or three different secure media locations is essential. You have to enjoy building the history of the sport and have lots of spare time to do so! I am actively looking for someone to take over this roll as I have done it now for over 40 years but it’s unpaid and unknown to many".

Thank-you so much for your time, and all the hard work you put into your role, Ian!