Volleyball ACT Newsletter
April 2023
Welcome to the Volleyball ACT monthly newsletter. Stay up to date with news, events and projects in and around Canberra and the ACT.
VACT Junior Development Academy
The VACT Junior Development Academy is a new program for athletes aged 10 - 15 years.
The Academy will give talented athletes further training opportunities to develop their skills.
Trials are fast approaching! REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE!
For more information, please contact Erica at the Volleyball ACT office.
22-23 Beach Volleyball Season Wrap Up
The 22/23 Beach Volleyball Season has come to an end! It was a big season for the ACT, some highlights include:
~ Hosting both the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour and the Australian Junior Beach Volleyball Tour at the Lyneham Beach Facility.
~ Two AJBVT medals courtesy of Charlie Beard and Jay Tregeagle
~ Increased numbers across the Canberra Beach Program, Canberra Beach Series and the Youth State Team Program
~ Improved across the board for our Youth and Junior athletes at the national level.
We thank all those who were involved in making the season happen, we look forward to a bigger and better season next year.
2023 Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships
At the end of March, 19 teams and 14 coaches from the ACT travelled to Coolangatta to compete in the 2023 Australia Youth Beach Volleyball Championships. The capital's finest came up against the best from across the country and battled hard on the sand for a shot at an Australian title.
There was a notable improved in the weather from 2022 but Mother Nature threw everything she could at our athletes - heat, wind and rain. There were some strong performances, heart breaking losses and lots of lessons learned throughout the competition.
We have several top 12 finishes:
5th - Beard/Edwards (U16M)
8th - Lafoy-Brown/Rolleston (U16M)
11th - Harris/Lincoln (U16M); Edvardsson/Witheford (U17M), Blakey/Hillier (U17W)
12th - U15 Boys & Hudson/Fowler (U17W)
Congratulations to all athletes who competed, you should all be extremely proud of yourself.
Thank you to all of the coaches and staff who attended - your support of our young athletes does not go unnoticed. Special mention to Jack Gane for earning the ACT the award of Best Dressed Coaching Staff (unofficial).
The Sports Bra Project
To mark International Women's Day, Volleyball ACT, along with Royals Volleyball Club and Royals Rugby Club, supported The Sports Bra Project. The Project increases access to sports for women and girls by removing barriers to participation. They provide sports bras to athletes who don’t have access to such a basic piece of equipment.
VACT had a goal of 100 sports bras! Through generous monetary donations, a sausage sizzle and lots of donations from the Volleyball ACT & Royals communities, the goal was surpassed!
Thank you to everyone who donated and those that made it happen.
Meet the Members
Greg Ophel
Greg is a familiar face around Volleyball in the ACT. He is currently heavily involved in the ACT Youth and Junior programs as a coach as well as the ACT Dragons Volleyball Club as a player and coach.
In 2019, Greg was named as a finalist for the Chief Minister's Inclusion Awards. For those who know Greg, you would know that he was born deaf. He has been involved as a volunteer in the deaf community since 1990. He also represented Australia at the 2005 Summer Deaflympics in Melbourne.
We asked Greg a few questions - see his responses below!
When did you first play volleyball? I was at my father's work Christmas BBQ when I first played volleyball.
What position did you play? Mostly opposite and libero.
Do you have any pre-game superstitions? Not really, But I like to make sure that I prepare well.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be? Olympic/Deaflympic swimmer Cindy-Lu Bailey. She is a tough competitior.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone starting their volleyball journey? Listen to your coaches and stay calm.
What are you looking forward to in 2023? Improving my coaching and enjoying the success where it comes.
Around the Grounds
ACT Dragons Volleyball Club
For more information, please contact the club at actdragons@gmail.com
ANU Volleyball Club
UniSport Nationals is back for 2023 and will be held on the Gold Coast between the 23rd and 29thof September. UniSport Nationals is the biggest event in the university sport calendar and we would love to see lots of ANU students competing in their chosen sports
If there any current ANU students who are interested, please get in touch via volleyball@anusra.com.au if they would like to be involved.
Belconnen Volleyball Club
Belconnen Volleyball Club have commenced training and invite all those interested to contact the club email for more information!
Canberra Rangers Volleyball Club
For more information, please contact the club at cbrrangersvolleyballclub@gmail.com
Royals Volleyball Club
RVC Indigenous Jersey Design
Royals Volleyball are proud to reveal our jersey's for 2023 - 25, working with Wiradjduri and Samoan woman, Thalia Uilelea, who has done an incredible job creating such a beautiful design that captures our community, our values and of course our royal blue colour.
We look forward to representing the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, as we wear our jersey's with pride - to find out more about the meaning behind the art, view our artist interview here.
Upcoming Events
Date Event Location
3 April Open Leagues Commence National Hockey Centre
22 & 29 April AJVC (U19 & U23) Trials National Hockey Centre
23 April Level 1 Coach & Ref Course National Hockey Centre
30 April CVL Round 1 National Hockey Centre
