Today, 1st of July, sees the launch of the second Volleyball England Foundation, Inclusion and Diversity project. The project funded by Sport England is going to work with 5 clubs around the country to support the development and understanding around the LGBQT volleyball landscape.

Positively impacting lives through sport is at the heart of the Volleyball England Foundation and Volleyball England’s purpose. Therefore, we were thrilled to have been successful in applying for the funding to work on a project to create inclusion and diversity following the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

This two-year campaign sets out to create an inclusive culture in volleyball in England, working with clubs to provide the knowledge and resources to create positive environments for LGBTQ+ players.

Clubs involved will function as a peer support and knowledge-sharing networks. This will enable clubs to share challenges, barriers and good/best practice that equips participant clubs and their members with tools to recognise, combat and challenge barriers that prevent LGBTQT+ people engaging with volleyball.

By working with the participating clubs and local Pride partners, we will build a knowledge network and use them to build resources and toolkits, which will work to reduce stigma and encourage people to speak out when they need support. This will help clubs to recognise when a member may be struggling, and then have access to resources that enable them to feel they can take positive action to help and support. The long-term plan will be to cascade the learning and resources across the volleyball network and share learning with other sports where applicable.