2026 SWVA U15 Boys Coaching and Leadership Team – L to R – Neil Bentley (Asst Coach), Jaden Valdes (Vice Capt), Michaela Willis (Team Mgr), Cliff Ball (Head Coach), Ed Killen (Captain)
Introduction
Like other regions, the South West Volleyball Association (SWVA) runs a training programme for aspiring junior volleyball players from across the region. Training sessions of 4 hours are held monthly on a Saturday from September to May across four age groups: Under 15 Boys & Girls, and Under 17 Boys & Girls.
As head coach of the Under 15 Boys’ squad (since 2020… appointed in lockdown!), the challenge is to bring boys together from different clubs throughout the region and assemble a squad of 12 players capable of competing at Volleyball England’s Inter Regional Championships (IRC) held at the end of May.
It has become an annual ritual, which my assistant Neil (Bentley) and I relish! We have developed a training programme that brings results, with placings prior to this season being 4th (2023), Gold (2024) and Bronze (2025). However, the pressure to produce similar results this season (2026) was high and expectant!
Preparation and Progress
This season’s first training session did not provide any indication of how the season would finish. In the week leading up to the first session, we had 7 players signed up. I hastily sent e-mails to coaches and other volleyball figures around the region and we ended up with 12 lads. Enough to hold a session but probably the lowest starting number since Covid. I sent more e-mails to raise the profile of the Junior Programme and the numbers climbed gradually over the coming sessions to a point where I had seen 25 youngsters from 12 clubs …the strongest representation being from Wessex. Normally in a season we would expect to see 30 to 40 boys in this age group, so this was without doubt an exception.
As this was our fifth season coaching the under 15 boys, I had ample historic training plans to refer to, in order to fulfil all 9 training sessions for the season. However, I still sketch out a new plan for each session, using the old fashioned method of 2 sides of an A4 sheet, perhaps modifying training drills in the plan to include specific key points, and to cater for the skills sets of the boys present. The plan develops progressively year-on-year.
One knock-on effect of the slow take up in numbers was that I delayed ‘player deselections’ until after the December session (4th session). On a positive note, it allowed some of the boys with more basic skills to use the programme to advance their understanding and game play, thereby also fulfilling one of our programme’s aims of building upon what junior players do at their clubs and schools, to help bring them to the next level.
Selection to the squad is based on various factors such as players’ attitude, work ethic, team ethic and coach ability – ability to listen, comprehend and apply. We of course look at the individual’s volleyball skills and I grade these on a simple matrix – see example below. This allows me to track a player’s all-round development and provides a comparative measure against their peers. I have seen more complex models used by coaches, but this works for me. It allows me to select the most rounded players to produce a dynamic squad, whilst also providing valuable summary information for feedback and reports to deselected players’ parents/guardians, which without doubt is probably one of the hardest parts of this job!
The final squad saw player representation from 7 clubs across the region: Wessex (4 players), Olympiad (2), Cheltenham & Gloucester (2), Bristol VC (1), Exeter Storm (1), PMVC (1) and IvyBridge CC (1), a nice spread of players who had already formed a strong bond. A Captain and Vice-Captain had also been selected back in March at the first training session for the selected squad of 12.
Match Training
The men’s ‘Exeter Challenge’ tournament in April provided a good opportunity to see how the boys were able to play as a team. They attained a respectable 8th from 12 experienced teams, losing their final two matches by just one point! Neil and I took our observations from the tournament into our final two training sessions to work on some gaps in our match play, with one eye always on the IRC, creeping up fast! Meanwhile in the background the dedicated Junior Teams Manager, Michaela Willis, and all respective coaches were finalising the detailed logistic planning to ensure we could concentrate on the individual squads in the final build up to the IRC weekend.
Winning and Impact
The hard work and planning prior to the IRC event proved productive. We always travel to the IRC event the day before our pool matches commence, to allow the boys to settle in, some away from their parents for the first time. It also allows the boys to view the venue and see the girls’ squads perform.
On the first day of play, immediately following the U15 Girls tournament, we had a briefing with the boys to help keep their focus before the first of the U15 Boys pool matches. Indeed our best practise is to de-brief immediately after each match away from court side in a quiet area. Going into the IRC event, Neil and I knew we had a good squad, although the unknown factor is always the strength of the other squads as this changes year on year. The first 4 pool matches went better than expected, all with straight 2-0 wins, and having managed to play all 12 of the squad at some point in the proceedings.
The semi-final against North West was tough and we worked hard with the squad to maintain focus in their objective of winning. We won 2-1 in the closest match of the weekend, and the boys knew the impending final against London, who have a pedigree of winning, was a tough prospect. The opening of the final saw our lads sink a little, and build up a 6 point deficit at 10-4 to London. A timeout drew all of our mental reserves, and we willed the boys on with the help of our bench and vocal parental support to win the first set 21-17. The play intensified in the second set, along with the noise levels. The team maintained momentum and won the set 21-17; a 2-0 straight sets victory against a top team. Fantastic!
Against the odds, we had won Gold again and the celebrations were electric. It was quite emotional as we walked by the net shaking hands with the London squad and their respected and experienced coaches. Seeing the boys collect their medals and being part of the celebrations with Neil alongside was an incredible feeling. Considering the shaky start to the season with the low numbers, we somehow managed to pull it off again following the Gold of 2 seasons ago and Bronze last year.
Lessons and Takeaways
Winning is not about any one person but a collective of people with different contributions. Players are what the IRC is really about, and their commitment and determination to advance themselves in order to gain selection is essential. The coaches are there to help get the best out of the boys and play a part in their development.
A head coach must have a plan of course, but needs a good assistant to bounce and share ideas with, and the assistant needs to be able to work closely with the head coach to question and provide valuable support.
A good team manager is essential to take a lot of the background workload of the coaches and to ease the administration burden and more. Others such as treasurer, minibus drivers, committee personnel and yes, parents of the players all play their part in the success of any programme. If you have something to offer then step forward and play your part!
Cliff Ball
You can checkout more photos from this years IRC event at: https://swva.org.uk/news/2026-irc-event-photos
