January was a month of teaching the teachers for NI Volleyball and the CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’. Six coaching sessions for teachers took place across Northern Ireland in the past four weeks alone.
in Ballymoney, where the coaching sessions for teachers first started with a visit from CEV
represented by Belgium coach Kristof De Loose and Thomas Bro-Rasmussen in January
2020. The anniversary session was a special occasion, marked with a small celebration at
its conclusion. Kristof joined the workshops online to extend his best wishes for the
development of Volleyball at the grassroots and offered his continued support.
In addition to the anniversary training in Ballymoney, events also took place in Belfast,
Lisburn, Newry, Downpatrick, and Kilkeel. All the theoretical and practical sessions were
undertaken by Joanna McCrory, the NI Volleyball Vice-President and CEV School Project
Manager for Northern Ireland, with the support of local City Council Sports Development
Managers. This collaborative approach provided the teachers with a comprehensive
education on basics of Mini Volleyball and the support of the local City Councils.
Thanks to the coaching sessions, the participating schools are now able to complete their
own volleyball activities and prepare their pupils for local Mini-Volleyball tournaments
taking place in April, May, and June 2023. The teachers who participated in the sessions
came away with a wealth of new knowledge and skills, which they can now use to further
support the development of Volleyball within their schools and communities. The teachers
will also have access to online materials, which are available on the CEV website. These
materials will provide additional support for the teachers assisting their efforts to deliver
volleyball activities in their schools.
Due to a number of reasons, including adverse weather conditions, some schools were
unable to attend these group sessions. For those schools affected, additional trainings will
be available to ensure they too have the opportunity to participate in the Project.
One of the primary targets of the CEV School Project in Northern Ireland for the academic
year 2022/2023 was to increase the participation and at least double the number of schools
assigned to the Project, and this goal has been successfully achieved as the number of schools has increased from 25 to 60. The continued support of the CEV, as well as the cooperation between NI Volleyball and local authorities has been vital in ensuring the expansion and success of the CEV School Project in Northern Ireland.
The Volleyball Family in Northern Ireland is growing!
CEV Small Countries Association 