Pro Volley make the u18 Championship final of England

On Saturday 12th March 2022, Pro Volley, the academy division of the reigning champions of England – IBB Polonia London played the most recent round of matches in Group B with Wessex, Exeter VC and The Boswell School. The players under the ye of Greg Niski won their first two pools without losing a set, and their first two matches in similar style, but the last game saw a better opponent, however a tight count back decision gave the Pro Volley youngsters a ticket to the final.

On Saturday, the tournament in the National Volleyball Centre Kettering, gave Pro Volley three more tough encounters to cope with; the first two were against Wessex and Exeter and the wins were relatively under control throughout. The Boswell match was much tougher and sadly the youngsters could not control the opponents and chalk up any league points; but the defeat did not cost them the progress to the final for the 2022 title. Thanks to a better set and point ratio, the Londoners secured their spot in the final. The table of results can be found here.

„Following such an emotional day, and particularly last match, it is tough to think of what to say, but I am proud of our achievements and of our players. I started working with the squad in September, and have seen many improvements and this means they fully deserve their place in the final. We showed in the first two games that we could play and control the matches. With Boswell School, we surrendered mentally; we know of the volleyball history and successes of the school. We allowed them to look better than us on court and for both teams to think that Boswells were better. We weren’t prepared to challenge them, but technically and tactically we were equally strong. Luckily the one loss didn’t cost us our place in the final. We know which aspects let us down, and what we need to correct so that the final match against Richmond Docklands goes according to plan” said Head Coach of IBB Polonia London and Pro Volley, Greg Niski.

The under 18 final is on the weekend of 23-24 April in Kettering. The players will play in the prestigious finals against Richmond Docklands who are strong favourites on paper, getting to the final without the loss of a single set. The IBB Polonia youngsters are already motivated to play for the biggest reward and can start to dream big. The program has been in existence for two years, but has won a ticket to the final on their first attempt; this confirms once again the progress that the players have made in their sporting achievements and just how highly successful the program is in developing the volleyball expertise of the youngsters.

Pro Volley has begun its recruitment for the coming season and is seeking 16 year old players to add to the next cohort by emailing e-mail: coach@provolley.london or else completing the application on https://provolley.london. The program is the academy of the current English Champions and continues to be unique in the country.

Before some of the Pro Volley squad return to Kettering for the final, they will rejoin the Super League champions IBB Polonia London to play again in the highest league in the country: the team from London play on 19th March against Newcastle Staffs at 3pm.

Other than that, IBB Polonia London continues to work outside the volleyball court. Very soon, the next episode of „The Volleyball Show” will be broadcast. Details of when and where will appear on social media. In addition the CEO Bartek Luszcz, has been invited to present to the delegates of the 3rd congress of Polish Sport Business. The IBB Polonia London CEO will be presenting on Tuesday 15th March the topic of „How to prepare, and see through, a sports marketing and organisational plan”. More details are available here.