It is a periodic replace in my position as Indoor Efficiency Director for Volleyball England. I laid out the excessive degree priorities underneath which I’m working in my preliminary publish.
Persevering with on from my final replace, it’s been a busy interval for the England nationwide groups.
New nationwide workforce sponsor deck
Again in mid-September we launched one thing that had been within the works for a pair months – a sponsor deck. I shared it on LinkedIn, and we requested all of the Pathway gamers/households, coaches, and employees push it out to their networks.
Euros qualification for the U17s
October is NEVZA time every year. That’s our Zonal championship, which additionally performs the position of European Championships qualifier in alternating years. This yr it was the U17s aiming to qualify for the 2026 U18 Euros. There have been some fascinating developments associated to this.
First, Faroe Islands and Iceland opted to compete within the Small Nations Affiliation slightly than NEVZA this qualifying cycle. Don’t ask why they’re a part of each. That’s a query for CEV.
Second, Norway opted not to participate (Sweden make the identical choice final time). With Greenland additionally not collaborating (they hardly ever do), that left solely 4 nations competing – Denmark, England, Finland, and Sweden.
The format was 4-team round-robin hosted by Denmark, with 1st and 2nd then enjoying for gold, and third and 4th enjoying for bronze. Gold earned the automated bid to Euros as zonal champs. Silver earned development to the 2nd qualification spherical in April.
We knew stepping into it was going to be powerful to earn Euro development, particularly with the discount is spots from 3 right down to 2. The boys’s workforce was in a position to be Denmark within the bronze match to take third. This after having beforehand misplaced to the Danes within the group play section (each matches going 5). Sadly, the ladies misplaced their very own bronze medal match, additionally in opposition to Denmark. It was Finland beating Sweden in each of the finals.
NEVZA Championships for the U19s
This isn’t a Euro qualification yr for the U19s. That might be subsequent yr. So it was only a common NEVZA Championship match, which was hosted by Faroe Islands. Finland has just lately not taken half in these non-Euro occasions, and Greenland was not surprisingly absent. Neither Norway nor Sweden took half both, for monetary causes. That meant the sector was Denmark, England, Faroe Island, and Iceland.
As with the U17s, the format was 4-team round-robin hosted by Denmark, with 1st and 2nd then enjoying for gold, and third and 4th enjoying for bronze.
The England Males once more outperformed their Girls’s workforce counterparts. They managed to do exactly sufficient in group play to earn the 2nd spot, placing them into the finals in opposition to Denmark. The Danes had been the clear favorites all through, and although the England lads did seize a set off them, they fell ultimately to take Silver. The Girls had a difficult group section, seeing them come backside of the group. That put them within the Bronze match in opposition to Iceland. Their efficiency undoubtedly picked up for the battle, however they got here up somewhat brief, so couldn’t seize the medal.
Trying forward
The unique plan for the Seniors was that they’d play within the 5 Nations match as soon as once more in January, in addition to within the Novotel Cup. That’s what they did final yr. The 5 Nations (in all probability re-branded) is transferring to Summer time, and the Novotel match is off this yr, although. Which means the Seniors will keep in coaching mode.
In constructive information, nevertheless, the Nordic Cup match the lads have performed within the final two years will now be an official NEVZA occasion. Underneath FIVB’s initiative to make extra occasions points-earning ones, zonal occasions like this match the invoice. So England will get to earn some factors and eventually make the rankings. Choices are being explored to do one thing comparable for the ladies.
By way of the Juniors, we’ve got U18/U20 camp this month. Then in February it’s Scholar Cup finals and Winter Cup in Italy for the U18s. Plans are within the works for the U20s to do a coaching/enjoying camp in Germany (ladies) and Portugal (males) as properly.
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