The growth of our junior section has to be one of the most exciting aspects of the 2019-20 season.
We started the season with 6 players and, by the end of the season, we had 18 players ranging from 11 years old to 18 years old. They have been brilliant. They train on Wednesdays alongside the local league team which means we have to manage with two squads, but they turn up, have fun and take part. It has also been great to see people from the Regional League and National League squads get involved and give up time to train the juniors. A huge thank you to Eli, who has been wonderful and to Alexandra and Thereza who have helped deliver training to the juniors too. Every single one of the juniors have improved. From the raw beginners to those who have played before, they have worked hard and got better. We have even started to introduce some of the juniors into the local league team. Nikki has been in the team for a year, but it has also been rewarding to see Evie and Emily and Barbora starting to make the step up. We even had our first Juniors social event when we took 6 players to Boost Trampolining for a bit of team bonding. When the Coronavirus lockdown is over, we will organise a big party for the juniors to celebrate the season. Next season We have talked to the more experienced players and we have agreed to create a second Regional League team next season. It will be very hard work and they will be up against much more experienced teams. They will lose a lot of matches, but we veleive it will help them grow as indivduals and as players. By the end of the 2020-21 season, they will be winning sets and pushing other teams hard.
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At the beginning of this season, we were still coming off the high of winning Division 3 last season. We knew that this new league would bring about it’s challenges, but we were ready to put in the work in order to be successful. We sat down as a team at the beginning and created our goals for the year. Our top goal? Be placed at least mid-table by the end of the year, if not higher. New faces/Strong core We gained quite a few new people at the beginning of the year. This included Saffron, Michelle and Amy as players who helped us widen our team, create range in playing abilities, and important inter-team competition. It was nice that they all seemed to fit into our crazy, loud, and weird team with no issues. Another addition to our team was that of an Assistant Coach, Roland Szucs – a Men’s National League Player and Captain here in Leicester. He came onboard to help Coach Gordon continue to coach us throughout the season. With their help, we began to prepare for what was to become a mentally and physically challenging season. A tough beginning We began the season playing against what it is now the Leagues undefeated winners in the Volleyball England National Cup. This showed us that hard times were to come, but to also have hope tht, with a bit of training, we wouldn’t be that far off. The first half of the season was rocky, and we played 8 games in 9 weekends of both League and Cup games. A tiring affair for all. We were able to come out having won 4 games and losing 4 games. Cup run One highlight of this year is that we were able to go farther in the National Cup and Shield competition then we have ever done before. We made it to Round 2 in both the Cup and Shield Competitions, which was a success in our eyes. Finding our feet After Christmas returning from our homes and holidays abroad, we started playing again and won 3 out of our 4 next games before the season ended abruptly. A much better percentage than the first half of the season. We seemed to be getting back to our previous motivated and winning ways – a recollection on where we were this time last season when we had won Division 3. It’s a shame that we couldn’t finish the season properly, with 5 games still left un-played. However, we achieved our goal. We are currently 5th place – exactly mid table, in Women’s Division 2 North National League. The secret ingredient Don’t get us wrong, we’re all crazy volleyball players, but do you want to know the best part about this team? We’re friends. We’re mates, as Coach Gordon always reminds us during games and training sessions. We play for our friends. We win for our friends. It’s as simple as that. And that – that is what makes this team as great and as successful as it is. That’s the ethos that this club was founded upon, and it lived through us this season more so than ever. The crazy and, slightly unhinged at times, love and passion that we show towards each other can be extended to all. Whether that be our teammates, coaches, club members, fans, or friends – it’s a definite in saying that we would not be where we are without the help from everyone else – especially in those challenging sets! Thank you, Gordon This love extends to arguably one of the most important people we’ve had with us throughout the last 2 years. Our Coach, Gordon Macdonald who has been with us from the beginning of National League. He has seen us win Division 3 and achieve our goal in Division 2. He has helped us to be the best players we could be, and has helped to achieve our goals in both years. He has been there through those hard sets. He has had a go at us when we needed it. He has been a beacon of calmness during those frantic games – despite being yellow carded once! He has let us dance and laugh things off when we needed to – as long as it didn’t involve any singing! Most importantly, he’s been our friend. Gordon has a busy personal and professional life and trying to juggle that with the time needed for a Division 2 National League team has been difficult, therefore he has made the decision that most of us would make in his shoes. With a heavy heart, he has made the decision to step down from Athena. Although all of us will be sad about this decision, this won’t be the last time we see or speak to him though, as it is still very much expected that he cracks open a few beers with us from time to time! Looking forward And now, we look onto next season. When it will start, who it will bring us, or where it will take us is still unknown. But what we do know, is that we will get there together. “Be confident in your abilities. Work through the challenging sets and never give up. Mindset is everything. You are part of an exceptional team. I know you’ve got this”. – Gordon Macdonald. Thank you to National League captain, Sarah Booth, for the end of season review This season was definitely good for Regional Team. We ended up 2nd in the league with 22 points. We won 6 matches and lost 4 - which was far above our goals for the season. The team grew stronger throughout the season. After a disappointing loss to Ashfield Vipers, we managed a few wins in the row which really helped with confidence. Although defeats were hard to take, we worked harder at training and came back stronger. Every single player improved significantly over the season but, most importantly, we learned how to work together. Sometimes we faced lack of communication on the court and a lack of self-belief meant that we weren't able to play at our best. This season definitely helped every one of us to develop our skills and grow individually but most importantly it helped us to bond together and grow as a team. We learned to help each other overcome issues and came out with friendships stronger than ever. Despite season being cut short, we had a lot of fun and made so much memories. We can’t wait to play together and have a laugh at trainings again. Thank you to Regional League captain, Julia Golinska, for this end of season report. The Local League team has made amazing progress this season. We have seen players return and had new players arrive. The spirit of the team is something that has developed the most and in the best possible way. We have not won a single match this season - but that didn't get us down. We have played some excellent volleyball during our matches. In previous seasons, we have had much more experienced players step in to play with with us in matches when we have struggled to get players together. But this season, each and every one of our matches has had the same "core-team". Because of that we have developed a very good team spirit and a feeling of camaraderie. The commitment from the Local League players has been amazing throughout the whole of the season with players regularly turning up to training and helping out to referee and score matches for both the Regional and National Teams. Teamwork Despite starting the season by losing match after match 3-0, we have slowly begun to turn the tables and managed to take a set from our last two matches. This is the proof that our teamwork is beginning to come together - to gel and solidify. I genuinely believe that, had we not cut the season short - there was a good chance we could have won one of our last matches this year. Grit and Determination Not only have we developed as a team, we have also developed as individuals. Some of the Local League are beginning to show signs of potentially moving up into the Regional League squad thanks to their regular attendance and hard work. It takes grit and determination to progress - and that is something that the Local League has buckets of. Thanks to Charlie for the end of Local League season review |
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