Volleyball has over 800 million players worldwide leading to claims this it is the most popular sport in the world. With the longest ever recorded match as 75 hours and players jumping over 300 times in one match, volleyball is fast, high energy and an exciting game to watch and play!
As a true team sport with intense and gripping rallies, volleyball is full of tactical complexities that give players and spectators alike a unique experience. Did you know...?
In GB Women's Captain Lynn Beattie's first match for Spanish Super League team, CV Playa de las Canteras, she was not only awarded MVP but also became the first Brit to become one of the league's Super-6 players.
Pop star YAZZ - who had a number 1 hit with 'The only way is up' played Volleyball for England U19's during high school.
The first Olympic Volleyball competition was held in 1964, when the gold medals were won by the Soviet Union (men) and Japan (women).
A giant squid's eye is the largest in the animal kingdom and is the same size as a Volleyball.
The age groups picked enable the training squads to sit just below the Junior National Teams and are in line with the CEV age competitions. The volleyball competitors are selected through the regional/national talent development programmes in each of the home nations, which culminate in a selection event where athletes play for the right to play at the Level 4 School Games. Players are identified to join the regional/national talent development programmes after impressing in Level 3 School Games Competitions or playing for their school or club in the national junior championships run in each home nation.
Fourteen teams (boys and girls) representing England North, England Central, England South, Northern Ireland, Scotland East, Scotland West and Wales compete for the title of School Games Champions.
Volleyball Selection Policy 2012