News

Newcastle upon Tyne, 27th of September 2023

After not holding an Annual General Meeting for two years due to COVID-19 pandemic, the key committee members brought the entire club together.

The head coach, Keith Sowden, summarised: “It has been a long season with a lot of work put in by all teams.” Overall, the club had a good year, with two league wins and great performance all around.

All the leagues’ results are visible on the Northern Counties (NCVA) website.

Women’s league

The first team, Scarlet Panthers, won all their games. The team had a strong serve, which resulted in the majority of the wins. A clear objective for the next season is to improve playing on court, not having to rely on service so much.

The Scarlet Panther’s team have had issues with attendance throughout the season. This caused difficulties in some of the games and is therefore something that the women’s coach wishes to solve for the next year.

The younger, Pink Panthers team was focusing on gaining experience during the season. Several players were brought from the junior sessions to join this rank, allowing them an opportunity for development. The team finished in 5th place in the league.

The 4-2 system brought success to the team, especially in a game against Marden. The game, which looked like the Pink Panthers would be losing, turned from 0-2 score to 3-2 win.

Men’s league

White Panthers, the more experienced men’s team, struggled with injuries throughout the season. However, improvement was apparent after Christmas, with the team adding new players into their ranks. White Panthers achieved third place in the league.

The other men’s team, Black Panthers, developed impressively during the entire season. Mainly formed of younger players, the team was consistent, resulting in several wins.

After adding a few new players to the team, Black Panthers won their league.

Development amongst younger players

The Cubs, the club’s junior team, finished in second place in their league. The team only lost to NESLC Aztecs during the season.

Ralph, the team’s coach, changed their system to 5-1, and will carry on bringing new talents into the team.

In addition, 13 of the club’s junior players joined the North East Inter Regional U15 and U17 Championships teams. Even though the YouTube live stream was difficult to watch, the experience was valuable for all players.

Awards of the season

Each team nominated their Player’s Player in addition to coaches picking a Coach’s Player. With a lot of nominations, the results are as follows:

Player’s Player:

• Cubs: Mitchell Dennis
• Pink Panthers: Giovanna Gentile
• Scarlet Panthers: Romane Sanchez
• Black Panthers: Richard Williams
• White Panthers: Nico Ricci

Coach’s Player:

• Cubs: Zack Trnka-Murray
• Pink Panthers: Giovanna Gentile
• Scarlet Panthers: Vicky Olive
• Black Panthers: Joel Sykes
• White Panthers: Jason Riise

AGM resolutions and positions

Several club members stepped forward to fill the available positions. These are crucial for ensuring the club functions on an optimal level. The positions are as follows:

• Chair: Vicky Olive
• Secretary: Sue Sowden
• Head Coach: Keith Sowden
• Assistant Coach: David Topacho
• Treasurer/Auditor: Lauri Chandler
• Welfare/Safeguarding: Sue Sowden.
• In addition, Umar Bin Zainal Ariffin, Liam Bateman, Geesje Blik and David Topacho will be undergoing the training (Safeguarding and Time to Listen courses)
• Social Secretary: Alex Ratto
• Publicity Officer: Liam Bateman
• Website maintenance: Denys Bielov and Nico Ricci
• Press reporter: Lotta Rasanen
• First Aiders: Arena staff, Chris Davies, Liam Bateman, Ruth Sykes, James Hollender, Nina Llewellyn and Geesje Blik
• Club photographers: James Hollender, Richard Williams, Ruth Sykes, Gabbi Mikulcova and Bea Wright
• Parent representative: Ruth Sykes
• Junior representative: Fionn Hayes, Caitlin Hill and Susanna Mardan
• Other committee members: Carlos Neves, Geesje Blik, Sergei Olenberg, Chris Davies, Gabby Mikulcova and Ralph Slikkeveer

The 2023-2024 season will begin on 5th of September 2023.

We now have a waiting list for any new players who would like to join us, so please sign up via the registration page on this website and we will be in touch as soon as possible. Our new beginner sessions have now started on Sundays at a different venue – NUCASTLE – Newcastle United Foundation Sports Venue.

We are using an app called Spond to invite people to sessions, so please accept the initial invite to ‘join’ Spond. You do not need to download the app as all messages will be delivered to your email address. Please check your ‘junk/trash’ box to make sure you don’t miss your invitation.

Please get in touch with Sue Sowden – sue@newcastlevolleyball.co.uk for any queries