Looking forward to the club's 40th celebration - Will Roberts

How were you first introduced to Volleyball?

My Dad was chair of Newcastle Staffs as I was growing up, so Saturday nights involved going to NVL matches and I've been around the sport my entire life, including things like committee meetings happening in our dining room, or worse still committee meetings at other people's houses on a night when my Mum was playing netball so I had to tag along! I didn't actually start playing myself though until I was in year 10, when I joined the junior section of the club which was based at another local school (the school legendary players Richard Dobell and Ant Viggars both went to!). Until mid-way through Uni, football was still my main sport and I played at semi-pro level so giving that up for volleyball was a big decision.

What was the most difficult skill to master on court?

Reading the opposition attack. As a middle blocker this is perhaps the most important part of the game, and whilst the thing I enjoy most is competitive and committed peppering and ball control, on the court it is what you do when you haven't got the ball and your preparation that matter the most.

What makes you most proud of our Volleyball Family?
You make a conscious decision to play volleyball in England, very few people fall into in 'naturally' as they might for those sports always in the spotlight. This means that many members of the sport's family are real devotees and they have a really strong bond with the sport. For me, it is a part of my identity which makes not being able to play at the club at the moment really hard, and is probably why I'm still playing and coaching when I probably should have retired to just do social by now!

What was your greatest Volleyball achievement?
As a proud club-man, it is having led the re-birth of our junior section in the early 2000s. It started with one group of boys and we grew year group by year group, and got the girls involved too which was really big given historically we had mainly been a men's/boy's club. 

As a team coach it is the progression that so many of the lads I have coached have made in their career's on and off the court. A significant number have gone on to play overseas and for England at senior, junior and cadet level. I always just want to open up their eyes to their own potential and the potential that the sport has for them.

The best individual moment was realising a dream with a special group who won four national titles in four seasons, and who we took to play in European competition.

As a player it has to be every time I step onto court for my hometown club. I first did this in the NVL in 1999 and it always feels special to me. On those nights at Keele when we have a big and noisy crowd in it is awesome, and looking around the team at a group of players who are nearly all 'homemade' local lads holding down jobs and playing at a high level because they love the game, each other and club is awesome.

What are you missing most during the lockdown?
The feeling of having players on the court ready to practice and ready to learn. I just love coaching a group of committed players that want to get better.

What are you looking forward to most once the lockdown is over?
Ensuring that the sense of community and sense of belonging in the club is as strong as ever. We have had to postpone the club's 40th Anniversary celebration to 2021 due to the virus and it will be a really special night when we eventually get to do this.