Sport England grant to help sitting volleyball get back on court following the lockdown.

At the end of last year the Volleyball England staff and the sitting volleyball working group, led by Richard Osborne, got together at the National Volleyball Centre at Kettering to look at the development of a COVID safe net.

The challenge is that players taking part in sitting volleyball sit face to face through the net. The COVID net (above) was developed with a plastic protective membrane that prevents the virus being transmitted through the net. This net was approved by the DCMS at the end of last year but the challenge is the cost to provide this net to all the sitting teams, clubs and training sessions.

The Volleyball England Foundation, working with Volleyball England submitted an application to Sport England - ‘Return to Play’ fund just before Christmas to purchase nets and sanitising equipment for every club.

The Foundation are pleased to announced Sport England are happy with the application and the nets are now on order with SportSet and will be distributed to the clubs before the end of the lockdown .

Richard Osborne - the Sitting Volleyball lead said “As volleyball clubs wait in eager anticipation for the green light to return to training, the sitting community is buoyed by the news that Sport England has agreed to fund bespoke nets for every sitting club.  This means that we can get back on the court with confidence, in the knowledge that risks have been taken seriously and mitigated as far as practicable. On behalf of everyone involved in sitting volleyball, I would like to thank the Volleyball England Foundation for all their efforts in putting together the bid which not only covers the costs for nets, but also a sanitiser pack that each club can use to further reduce risks."

Simone Turner the Chair of the Foundation said "The Foundation is excited to be able to help facilitate the sitting volleyball teams returning to play, feeling safer by using the COVID approved nets. The Foundation were happy to apply for this important funding provided by Sport England that will help to ensure our sitting teams, clubs and communities stay safe, while still enjoying all the benefits of the sport."

Over the next few days we will be asking clubs what this will mean to them as we ‘Return to play.’

A huge THANK YOU to Sport England for their continued support.