Tamworth Volleyball Club has joined an elite band of Volleyball clubs across the country in achieving Volley 1 (Clubmark) accreditation. Tamworth are now one of 38 Volley 123 accredited clubs across the country after the recent accreditation of Kings VC in Devon. Volleyball England set a target of having 40 accredited clubs by March 2009 and looks well on its way to meeting and surpassing this landmark.

The application process for Tamworth VC was overseen by club chairman Ian Wall. The club found that many of the requirements of Volley 1 had already been met by but required formalising in terms of a constitution, a mission statement, health and safety policies and coaching and junior development strategies.

Ian Wall commented: "Compiling the club's application was a lengthy process but well worthwhile and help was always available from Stuart Johnson at Volleyball England. This is about more than ticking a box and gaining our accreditation. This shows that we - along with the other 37 Volley 1 clubs - are serious about promoting volleyball and taking it deep into the heart of our local communities. With the Olympics looming on the horizon, this is incredibly important, particularly for sports like ours which cannot claim widespread, mainstream support."

Tamworth VC has continued to see rapid growth since gaining accreditation as Ian explains;

"Working towards our accreditation has been a catalyst for a lot of the activity which is now taking place at the club, especially the new Junior Academy which runs at Wilnecote School. It has also necessitated the involvement of a lot of people at the club particularly our team of qualified coaches who staff the Academy and visit schools during the day to conduct an introductory volleyball programme. Accreditation is not given away cheaply and requires a lot of time and effort. In my mind, the efforts made towards gaining this accreditation are indicative of how this club is making rapid strides forward. For those of us who have been here a while, it also validates everything we've been trying to achieve with this club since its inception in 1982."

Congratulations must go to everyone at Tamworth VC and indeed the West Midlands Volleyball Association as there are now 8 Volley 123 accredited clubs across the region.

To find out more about Volley 123 and where accredited clubs are click here

11th November 2008