Denise Austin and Clayton Lucas OBS Commentators
Denise began playing indoor volleyball at sixteen at the North Devon College under the guidance of Reg Beck, an enthusiastic trampoline turned volleyball coach. The NDC went on to win the national college championships in 1986 and again in 1987, Denise also became part of the SW inter regional squad in 1985-87 before moving to Manchester
Ken Harvey, former England coach, retires and living in Cornwall, on a coaching visit to the NDC inspired Denise to think she could become a young international. Within a short time she was discovered as “raw” potential and her love affair was cemented. At 19 she spent one year in Manchester playing for Sale and as part of the England Squad but never really cracked the indoor team. “As a relatively late starter to the sport I didn’t have the early touch that other players had and was prone to mistakes, mostly because of enthusiasm which was frustrating. I also really hated sitting on the bench!”
At twenty years old, after a year of city life Denise quit indoor volleyball and turned back to her roots in North Devon, not knowing where the future in volleyball lay. Fortunately for Denise, two lifeguards who had spent the winters in Australia had seen the rise of beach volleyball set up the SW Beach Protour where Denise alongside Wendy Britton (Hawkins) began her journey playing.
Fast forward ten years Denise was a seasoned international, after spending ten winters travelling and training in Perth, Australia. Rio, LA, Cape Town and Tenerife. Learning the craft of the sport.
During 1999-2000, Denise was fiercely competing for a spot at the Sydney Olympics.
After 18 events over two years, Denise and her then partner Monique Oliver failed at the last event to secure a spot coming 25th when 24 teams qualified. “It was really rough, most young sports people dream of the Olympics, it’s the ultimate goal and failing at the last hurdle it resonates for a very long time.”
Not one to idle for too long Denise fuelled by her experiences threw herself into supporting the growth of the beach volleyball pathway becoming a member of VE Beach Commission, Coaches Commission, Youth Commission and the Performance Commission.
As an embryonic sport there was such a body of work to accomplish and doing this while trying to grow a family and suppprt them took huge energies and a massive effort. Firstly we began with learning to build facilities, supporting the junior pathway with beach coaching camps and entering international junior events for the first time. Then it became about growing the coaches and sharing the knowledge to gather and inspire more players playing the beach game more often.
Ahead of London in 2006 Denise became a community development coach and through this was able to help the SW junior beach tour, the SW Junior Beach Championship, Devon School Games and the Junior VEBT. At the same time supporting the local growth of the volleyball community in N.Devon and the SW. “It’s an amazing experince watching the sport you love continue to grow and inspire others. “
Denise has influenced many aspects of beach volleyball in the UK, from NCAA beach volleyball athletes, to National Team coaches, NEZVA Gold Medal winning players to the Inter Regional and Small Nations events, the legacy is endless and the impact on the game of beach volleyball in the UK and beyond.
The SW U19 Beach Team watching (& listening) during the Men’s medal matches at this weekend’s Small Nations events.
In 2019 when her daughter Ellie went to the US to play beach volleyball at Florida Atlantic University in the NCAA, Denise and her family took off to Europe in their motorhome and eventually settled into a small village near Lagos in SW. Portugal.
“Lockdown hit my business pretty hard and like many people it was a pivotal moment to stop and assess what next?”. After growing her beach coaching business and camps since 1996 it was time to let the coaching take a back seat.
“I had always been an avid follower of the game and when I was asked if I would like to colour commentate at the Rome Beach Volleyball World Championships I couldn’t say no!”. And since then Denise has become a well recognised voice on the VTV app covering the Beach Pro Tour. “
“It’s a dream job, as an avid fan of almost 40 years, I would be watching and shouting at the screen! I have loved and breathed the beach game, so to be able to analyse and follow it at the pinnacle of the sport, it really doesn’t get much better than this!”
Denise has now taken it another step further and has just spent the past two weeks working for the Olympic Broadcast Service where you might have heard her on the BBC covering the Paris Olympics from start to finish.
“When I didn’t make the Sydney Olympics as an athlete, my dream of being at the Olympics diminished as raising a family and coaching internationally are brutally hard. Hats off to the mum and dad coaches who do because it’s a tough, long time on the road”
“Ahead of Paris 2024 , I didn’t want to get too excited, until you are there sitting watching the games from the Eiffel Towel but it’s happened and I feel incredibly proud making the commentating roster. “
“We were working off site from the International Broadcast Centre but were able to visit the Eiffel Tower Stadium and experience the vibe inside. Being at the IBC was also very cool, commentators from all sports, past Olympians and medallists, World Champions and I even met someone whose been working at the games since Los Angeles in 1984 and plans to retire in LA 2028!”
“Regardless of what the future holds it’s been an amazing cherry on the top of 40 years within the sport. There are too many Thank Yous to mention or miss out. So just one to Reg Beck he started it all and to everyone I ever met playing, coaching, organising and now commentating. Thanks!”
Denise Austin
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Editor note: I have worked with Denise on various beach projects, starting with the 2008 SW Junior Beach Championships (Exmouth). A lot of this is about finding out what works and what does not, and today its developing and evolving the U18 IRB and the U19 Open International / Small Nations events. Denise is also the only person I know who has a full size beach court in her back yard.
This should be made compulsory for all new builds.
