The bonds and friendships made in sport can be strongest at times when you least expect it.

The Ukrainian Men’s Beach Volleyball team visited Bettystown in County Meath in 2019 beating Ireland and Scotland to go on to a silver medal in the CEV Continental Cup.

Now the sport here has stepped up to the mark introducing a number of initiatives to assist refugees arriving into Ireland that want a sporting escape.

These measures include;

  • The indefinite waiving of player, coach and referee license fees for Ukrainian Refugees to participate and officiate in the sport, including both indoor and beach volleyball competitions.
  • Ukrainian Refugees will be exempt from the VLY. National League registration deadline of March 17th and can register and play in League games after this point.
  • Volleyball Ireland will cover the cost of associated club registration and participation fees for Ukrainian Refugees.
  • Volleyball Ireland will provide any required training wear and other Volleyball equipment to support Ukrainian Refugees participating in Volleyball club programmes.
  • Clubs wishing to set up Social Volley activities to help meet increased demand should contact Conor Flood cdo@volleyballireland.com for further help and support.

“We pride ourselves on our cultural diversity, inclusion and sense of community within Irish Volleyball, and I know our clubs will be a welcoming, supportive and kind environment during such a traumatic time,” said General Manager Gary Stewart.

“Volleyball is a popular sport in Ukraine and we want to play a small role to welcome and help our new friends integrate into the community and widen their support network. ”

“If these small measures can help just one Refugee then it’s the least we can do. I can’t begin to understand the trauma and difficulty that this invasion has brought upon families and individuals and on behalf of Volleyball Ireland we want to say you’re welcome here and our community will do its best to help you.”

On Monday, Sport Ireland called on all sporting bodies to do what they could to welcome the new arrivals.