Volleyball Ireland will later today formally publish a new four-year strategic plan entitled Feel the Buzz.
The plan focuses on growing a sustainable Volleyball community, with a vision to be recognised as a leader in inclusion, and the fastest-growing Volleyball Federation in Europe.
The highly detailed and comprehensive strategy includes 58 hard targets and well over 100 actions that will support, promote and grow the diverse Volleyball community in Ireland. As well as 10 key performance indicators that will measure Volleyball’s success including the tripling of participation.
These include increasing the number of registered players from a little over 1,600 in 2022 to 5,000 by 2026, doubling the number of clubs with youth sections to 30, and increasing overall revenue from just over €700,000 last year to €1 Million by the end of the plan. Turnover in 2018 was one third of that figure.
There are 13 different groups identified from school children to board members with clear targets set in each area and ownership attributed to key personnel within the organisation.
The strategy kicks off with a different vibe to many though with Feel the Buzz being expressed through a manifesto that owes as much to TikTok as the traditional formulae of strategic thinking.
It’s a buzz.
A different kinda buzz.
An exciting kinda buzz.
From the court on campus,
To a beach near you.
One net, one ball, game on.
All sorts, from all over.
A melting pot of good people,
And one shared language.
Serve, pass, set, spike.
Big characters.
Big moments.
Bigger smiles.
There’s nothing really like it.
Bold, competitive, fun.
And a welcome. For everyone.
Volleyball. Feel the buzz
Amongst the ambitious key deliverables are the development of 50 free-to-use Volleyball courts in parks and on beaches around the country and the hosting of a major international Volleyball event.
There is a keen focus on sustainability with Volleyball Ireland being set to become Ireland’s first NGB and Volleyball’s first Federation in the world to sign up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.
“Sustainability is a key driver for us, and we want to become a leader in this area showing the benefits of taking sustainability seriously, to enhance and improve our sport and the environment we play in,” said Volleyball Ireland CEO We are already working hard on our action plan in this area.”
“Over the last four years the sport has grown with a near doubling of players, teams and revenues. The number of children playing in clubs has quadrupled. Volleyball Ireland President Clodagh NicCanna said, “We will keep the forward momentum of recent years and grasp the enthusiasm that exists for our sport to bring Volleyball to a new level in Ireland.”
“This plan is about growth, but it’s also about improving the experience of Volleyball for all our members. There does seem to be a genuine buzz about Volleyball and Volleyball Ireland at the moment and we think Feel the Buzz really encapsulates what we’re about…that feeling of excitement and anticipation you get when you walk into a hall or on to the sand.”
Reinforcing the message about community, the plan is laid out in chapters that focus on the various constituents of Volleyball Ireland, such as Referees, National Team Athletes and Beach Tour Players. This is an intentional personal touch to better connect with our members with specific objectives for each.
“We exist for our community, our people,” added Stewart. “Ultimately, Volleyball Ireland is a collective of dedicated volunteers, players, referees, coaches and supporters, who are all connected by a shared love of the sport, so it makes sense we’d structure our plan like this.”
A scorecard of the deliverables will be continually monitored and updated to the Board of Volleyball Ireland on a monthly basis.
It is an exciting reset for the sport at every level and we have no doubt that it will be delivered.
Sport for Business member Branding Sport, who designed the Volleyball Ireland branding from a competition we ran back in the first year of lockdown, has maintained a strong relationship with the sport and been a key influence on telling the story of the sport and where it can go to next.
