Jonathan Barker appointed as CEO of Volleyball Ireland

Volleyball Ireland is delighted to announce the appointment of Jonathan Barker as its new Chief Executive Officer, following a highly competitive recruitment process.

Barker joins Volleyball Ireland with a strong track record in commercial and leadership development - most recently serving as Deputy CEO and Commercial Director of Sunshine 106.8, where he played a key role in growing the station’s revenues, forging lasting partnerships and leading the team to transform their commercial operations.

With extensive experience in building dynamic, sustainable relationships across sport and media, Barker brings a strategic focus that aligns closely with Volleyball Ireland’s ambitions. His appointment comes at an exciting time for the organisation, which continues to build on recent momentum and the success of its Feel The Buzz strategic plan.

“Jonathan’s energy, vision, and proven ability to develop commercial opportunities make him the ideal person to lead Volleyball Ireland into its next phase of growth,” said Clodagh Nic Canna, President of Volleyball Ireland. “His passion to move into the Sporting Sector is refreshing and exciting. This, combined with his partnership-building expertise, will be instrumental as we aim to expand our reach, build our performance programmes and evolve our organisation to have more organic sustainable revenues to achieve our ambitious objectives.” 

Barker added: “I’m honoured and excited to be joining Volleyball Ireland at such a pivotal time for the sport. With a strong foundation in place and a passionate community driving its growth, there is huge potential to elevate Volleyball’s profile across the country. I look forward to working with the board, staff, volunteers, and wider sporting community to grow participation, strengthen performance pathways, and build the visibility the sport truly deserves.”

Barker officially begins his role in early November, taking the helm in the first half of Volleyball Ireland’s biggest ever indoor league season which sees a 20% increase in teams competing across the country.