BERNARD Kilkenny and I sat in the Corradino Sports Pavilion in Malta, and watched the match which was being played out on the court before us. The teams involved were Iceland and San Marino and they were trying to smash each other off the court. It was fabulous!
The match was full of contrasts, the power of the Icelandic boys versus the speed and cleverness of the Italians; the work rate of the Icelandic
setter, against the finesse and style of the Italians. It was absolutely fabulous - but then international volleyball is simply the best!
Bernard was in Malta in his capacity as an international referee, I was there as head coach of the Scottish national team. We were both participating in the European Championship C Division, and in the days previous to this match Scotland had beaten both teams.
Bernard and I shook our heads as we watched the enthralling action, and wondered how Scotland had managed to tame the strength of the Vikings, and overcome the stealth of San Marino. On the evidence of their playing ability from the match we were watching, we shouldn't have beaten them 3-0, but we had.
Bernard and I sat back and watched the spectacle. The taraflex court under the high powered lights; the referees and officials in their whites; the ball retrievers in their official T-shirts; the teams in their contrasting colours; the jury members in their shirts and ties; the crowd leaping to their feet at regular intervals to applaud another huge block, or devastating spike, and I realised that when an international volleyball match is staged properly, it is one of the most awesome spectacles in sport.
Like the drama and the passion of that famous victory when Great Britain beat Australia in Glasgow in 1994, or the equally impressive win for GB over Denmark in Huddersfield in 1995, or Scotland versus England anywhere, anytime
it is done properly. The international game is simply fantastic. The occasion and the spectacle motivates people young and old. The power and speed of the players inspires youngsters to take up the game, and excites the sports enthusiast of any age. I watched Alain Fabiani, that most eloquent of French setters, playing in Glasgow against my club Su Ragazzi in the CEV Cup in 1995 and I was inspired.
I watched the style of the man, the rhythm of his play, the power of his decisions, and I knew volleyball was the best game in the world.
Funnily enough, Bernard Kilkenny was at that tournament also.
Many of the younger players in the Su Ragazzi Club are there because they have watched Iain Grubb or Richard Dobell play in a high profile international match. They became involved in volleyball because their school had taken them to see an international match which was being staged by the district council to
promote the sport and encourage youngsters to take it up. It worked, they have!
The kids decide to play because it looks great, the recreational players decide to practice for just one more session a week because they want to do something which is more like what they have seen the ''Big Boys'' do, and the talented players steal ideas and strategies from the heroes who are on show. This is international volleyball.
While we were in Malta, Bernard and I talked about how much the picture in Britain had changed over the past few years. The GB programme has finished at the senior level, and that is very regrettable, but the playing capacity of our top players has never been higher. The growth potential for our juniors has never been higher or clearer.
So now we have to work to generate the opportunities for more people, for new generations of schoolkids to watch international play.
The Scottish national team has enjoyed
support from the Lottery Unit this season, and this has raised the level of the programme significantly. Its initiative has been very positive as it focuses attention on the needs of the athletes, and helps address some of the significant problems associated with trying to be a full-time athlete when you actually also have a full-time job which pays the mortgage.
The support system from the Lottery Unit has quickly become an essential part of the equation, but it does not address all of the problems we face in trying to improve our standards and achieve European success.
The clubs have to speak to the sports council and the local authorities to find ways of promoting and financing top level matches and tournaments. The sports council must eventually recognise that they have a responsibility to support club structures, without which there would be no individual athletes to apply to the Lottery Unit for support.
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