IBB Polonia London on the path to success

Sport is a tough world where you don’t always win. The end result comes from a number of factors that IBB Polonia London are becoming experts at. The team from the capital of England had an outstanding season in 2016/17 defending the National title and the Cup title as well as a historical result in the CEV Challenge Cup. The cherry on the cake was the signing of current World Volleyball Champion – Krzysztof Ignaczak. Following on from that a very ambitious plan was developed: the Champions made a plan to play the next season with a crop of young, talented players. A lack of experience has resulted in a baptism of fire at the start of the new season. The president of the club Bartek Luszcz and the co-owner Jacek Ambrozy discuss the future.

On Saturday, IBB Polonia London played against the joint leaders of the table – Malory Eagles. Only one point was taken from the match. How can you sum it up?

BL: This was a tough match. We fought to the end, and the result was never certain. The tension was unbelievable, and the fans seemed to enjoy it.

JA: From a sporting perspective, we watched a close fought match, the very essence of sport.

The young squad is gathering experience, but the results are not showing. Is the current squad aiming for the title of England?

BL: We are optimistic. We have a young team. If we include some more experienced players, we have the chance of returning to the top of the table. We know how sport works and it is not always possible to be at the top, especially when you are trying to give young players a chance. Our current situation shows that the journey to the top isn’t easy, but we look for the positive in everything. Our position isn’t great at the moment and we find ourselves in a tough situation, but we aim to become a powerhouse in the future. We are learning a difficult lesson which will strengthen us before we enter the fully professional world of international volleyball. We certainly will not surrender. We will fight until the very end to realise the short and long term goals. We are aiming to be a complete team that can deal with life in every given situation.

JA: For the fourth time this season we have to accept defeat. We find ourselves in the bottom half of the table, and despite the fact we still have the chance to win the title, it seems only possible with total commitment from everyone concerned. As a co-owner of the club, and the head sponsor I prefer a deeper analysis and to make concrete decisions to support my colleagues. The team needs strengthening in a number of positions. We are looking to make some transfers immediately to improve our roster.

Currently the young squad is chasing the other teams; but in terms of business and marketing, IBB Polonia London has no rivals in Great Britain.

BL: Our sporting performance is slowly gathering momentum. Business and marketing is where we are firing on all cylinders at the moment. We have implemented a number of advertising/marketing investments; and this is just the start. There are many surprises to be announced in the future! We want to involve sports fans and business people to join us in the development of professional volleyball in England.

JA: Amidst the poor sports results, the future of the club looks very bright indeed. We are involving new partners all the time and some of these have huge financial potential. Our aim is to popularise volleyball in the UK and to support IBB Polonia via investments and the purchase of shares.

So there is a lot of work for the entire club, not only on the court of play, but in other areas too?

BL: Having the whole group involved is certainly the way forward. We are all working hard with passion, because we want the best for the club. If we work as a unit, we can move mountains. We have very faithful fans and partners, who are totally involved in order for the club to develop and gain even more success. We think optimistically and this spurs us on to working even harder.

JA: Hard work and self-reflection carried out by passionate people will bring results. I am an optimist. We are destined for success.

IBB Builders Merchants – IBB Polonia London strategic sponsor, which owner is Jacek Ambrozy – have been trading since 2005 in British markets. The company has significant experience in construction in many European countries such as Poland, Sweden, Germany and the UK and has built its foundations on importing construction materials mainly from Poland. More information is available here.

pic. sandsphotos.co.uk