Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club
| Full name | Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Castle, Staffs, |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Ground | Keele University |
| Capacity | 110 seated |
| Chair | Jeanette Carter |
| League | Men 1 - NVL1 Men 2 - NVL3North Women - NVL2North |
Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club is an English volleyball club based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England which is affiliated with Volleyball England, with teams competing at the national level for women, men, girls and boys. Formed in 1980, the club is best known for its tradition of junior development and has produced a number of England's leading talents in the sport.[1]
The club was formed following the amalgamation of two school teams in Newcastle-under-Lyme: Marshlands High School (now Wolstanton)] and Edward Orme High School (now Newcastle Community)]. The two schools had developed a strong cohort of predominantly-male volleyball players; as they grew older, the players needed to play at a higher level. The club was formed and its teams rose quickly through local and regional leagues to national-league status. When it reached the lower reaches of the National League promotion came quickly, until the top flight was reached during the mid-1980s. The women's team was formed during the late 1990s from two teams (Cheadle High School and Stone Alleynes High School), both of which had success at local level; however, until they combined they could not move to a higher level. The combined team entered the West Midlands Regional League; during the mid-2000s, it progressed to play in the National League.[2] From 2008–2010 the women's team underwent more changes, with a new generation of young players graduating from the club's junior ranks. During the 2010–2011 season, the women's team won the national under-18 championship, the NVL 2 North title and the National Shield.
Despite winning a number of national junior titles, the club has been less successful at the senior level.[3][4] In 2002 the club embarked on a programme of growth centred on Madeley High School, which has spread across all four school-sports partnerships in North Staffordshire, a Talented Athlete Programme (TAP) at the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College and links to three higher-education institutions (Keele University, Staffordshire University and Manchester Metropolitan University-Cheshire). September 2010 saw the opening of the Volleyball England National Academy, based in Loughborough; of the academy's first intake, six boys and two girls play for the club and are eligible for a formal daily training programme linked to the national squad as part of the England performance pathway. The 2010–2011 season saw three of the club's junior teams reaching the national finals, with the under-18 boys and girls both winning titles and the under-16 boys losing the final.
Twice winner of the Volleyball England Club of the Year Award since 2000, chair Colin Roberts and other members have received a number of awards for their work with the club. Roberts received the National Leadership Award by the Institute of Sport, Parks and Leisure (ISPAL) in summer 2009,[5] and was runner-up for the Service to Sport award at the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sports Awards in early 2010[6] after receiving the Volleyball England "Volunteer of the Year" award in 2008 (12 months after fellow club member Rod Stockwell received the same honour).
Contents
Honours
Newcastle has won a number of English national volleyball titles, predominantly in the junior age groups; a number of players have been recognised an the international level. In 2010 the national under-18 champion boys' team travelled to Castellana Grotte in southern Italy for the inaugural EuroVolley Cup 2010 (a European junior boys club competition supported by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) and the Italian federation. The team won two of its nine matches, finishing in eighth place.
National competitions
| Title | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| NVL Men 1 | 1994/95, 1995/96, 1998/99 | |
| National Cup Men | 1996/97, 2001/02 | |
| National Shield Men | 2006/07 | 2003/04 |
| National Shield Women | 2010/11 | |
| NVL Men 2 | 1984/85 | |
| NVL Women 2 North | 2010/11 | |
| National u20 Men | 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94 | |
| National u19 Men | 1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86 | 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83 |
| National u18 Men | 2009/10,[7] 2010/11 | 1990/91, 1995/96 |
| National u18 Women | 2010/11 | |
| National u16 Boys | 1979/80, 1981/82, 2008/09.[8] | 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/1983, 1989/90, 2005/06, 2010/11 |
| National u16 Girls | 2007/08, 2009/10 | |
| National u15 Boys | 1978/79, 1980/81, 1982/83, 2004/05, 2007/08 | 1979/80, 1988/89 |
| National u15 Girls | 2007/08 | |
| National u14 Boys | 2007/08, 2008/09 | |
| National u14 Girls | 2007/08 |
International-level players
Player's highest honour only (i.e. if GB, England not recorded)
| Great Britain | England | England senior development | England juniors | England cadets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Dobell | Anthony Viggars | Megan Viggars (GB Junior Beach) | James Bannister | Dave Lawton |
| Sam Bragg | Tim Hollis | Paige Nelmes (GB Junior Beach) | Sam Allen | Alex Liebeck |
| Steve Fee | Roman Neveykin | James Goodwin | Chris Ashton | |
| Tom Stevens | Rashad Ali | Sam Shenton | ||
| Neil Masters | Rupert Scott | Luke Davenport | ||
| Patrik Cawthorn | ||||
| Sam Shenton | ||||
| Stewart Ross | ||||
| Iain McKellar | ||||
| Alex Jenkins |
References
- ↑ The Sentinel, 03/10/2009. Volleyball: Newcastlehail teen triumph
- ↑ "Eels get a shock". Ellsmere Port Pioneer, Jan 19 2006 Archived from the original 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Simon Hayes, "Double win delight docklands volleyball" Archived from the original 2012-05-26.
- ↑ "Eagles flying high after Newcastle cruise", 26 January 2010 Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Baggaley, Mike (The Sentinel), 20/07/2009. Volleyball: Colin nets national award
- ↑ Baggaley, Mike (The Sentinel), 13/01/2010. Sports awards: Colin's dedication inspires volleyball side to success
- ↑ The Sentinel, 07/05/2010. Volleyball: Castle kids are kings of the country
- ↑ The Sentinel, 22/04/2009. Volleyball: Ecstatic Newcastle end 27-year wait for honour
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