ECOC elaborates on ideas and actions to grow the game at the grassroots level

A hybrid meeting of the European Coaches Commission (ECOC) with President Philippe Blain joining remotely was held on Tuesday, while some of the members did travel to the home of European Volleyball in Luxembourg specifically for this purpose. 

To support the growth of the sport and the work of coaches and PE teachers at the grassroots level, the ECOC members have agreed that additional documents and video material shall be made available through the CEV website. The idea is to distribute such tools following some sort of routine, i.e. once a week or so. Moreover, they discussed the possibility of producing an ad-hoc platform for the dissemination of such material – which could also help create a large database with the contact details of coaches from across the globe.  

While educational activities have so far focused primarily on PE teachers and coaches working with young children aged 6-14 at the entry level of the game, the ECOC members have shared the wish to expand them to include also those involved in the internationally recognised, more structured age categories. To this extent, content shall be made available via the CEV’s e-learning platform with theoretical modules and tests and this process could potentially culminate in the delivery of a summer camp with practical classes, with all participants eventually receiving a license / certificate from the CEV.  

ECOC Secretary Remko Kenter presented and discussed the concept of a Youth Volleyball Group, which shall result in the delivery of webinars / seminars with renowned speakers taking the floor to share their knowledge and experience in this area. 

The ECOC members also emphasised the necessity to promote Volleyball as a sport for all. With this in mind, and to actively pursue inclusiveness, exercises designed specifically for coaches and teachers working with kids with disabilities shall be added to the current CEV School Project Handbook. Moreover, to support the growth of the game at the grassroots level, European Volleyball shall evaluate the idea of establishing a foundation, like other sports have done, which shall be financially supported by interested sponsors and partners. 

One more topic that the conversation revolved around was the involvement of female coaches. At this stage, women are still very much under-represented at all levels. Therefore, a ‘push’ shall be given by involving more female coaches in programmes such as the CEV School Project, thereby increasing their representation from the grassroots level. To support the empowerment of female coaches, the ECOC will propose to establish a working group comprising of women only, while at the same time trying to take lessons from other sports that have embarked on a similar development process. 

All ideas and proposals discussed by the ECOC members will be reviewed by the CEV Board of Administration at their next plenary meeting scheduled for early February before any further actions can follow.