Information and photo courtesy of volleyball.org.au
Earlier this month, Volleyball Australia sent 24 athletes from the U16 Boys National Team to participate in the Warrnambool Seaside Tournament over the long weekend.
These two teams were coached by Mark Famous (VIC) and Edwin Kwek (VIC), assisted by Volleyroos Head Coach Dan Ilott.
The teams had two days of training in the lead up to a two-day tournament, which saw both teams playing four games on the Saturday and two on the Sunday.
The teams were entered into Division 1 Men’s, where they played against older and more experienced players.
The boys did well to hold their own and develop their game over the weekend with Team Green securing two wins.
During the tournament, the coaches helped to instill the concepts and systems of play that the national program is looking for from future Volleyroos as part of the Volleyroos for 2032 initiative, made possible through FIVB Empowerment Funding.
Coach Ilott expressed enthusiasm about the potential of young athletes in the U16 Men’s program following the completion of the Warrnambool tournament.
“There are some talented athletes in this age group, and we are committed to working at every stage of the athlete development pathway to ensure we are recruiting and developing future Volleyroos talent for 2032 and beyond,” said Ilott.
Ilott highlighted the significance of starting the development process with younger athletes, emphasising that this marks a new era in the history of the National program.
“We are constantly playing a game of catch-up when we compare the technical level of Australian Volleyball athletes to athletes from other zones, particularly the competitive Asian zone,” he said.
To address this gap, he stressed the necessity of creating more local competitive opportunities and practice environments to help athletes refine their techniques at a younger age.
“Regional tournaments like the one in Warrnambool provide a great opportunity for our young athletes to compete and learn,” he said, reinforcing the importance of these experiences in their growth and development as future elite players.
Pre-Youth (U16) National Squad Head Coach Adrien Ickowicz (TAS) said the Warrnambool tournament was a great opportunity for the U16 squad to challenge themselves in a competitive environment.
“Playing six games in two days provided a tremendous benefit for the group’s growth,” he said. “There was real satisfaction at the end, with the boys working on their mental strength to continue competing despite the fatigue settling in.
“This experience will prove very valuable for the future. We would like to extend our gratitude to the organisers for hosting us and to the opposing teams for playing the games in such good spirit.”
The U16 Program will have its final selection camp next month at the AIS where the final team of 12 will be selected for the 2025 Asian Men’s U16 Volleyball Championship, held in Thailand this July. Good luck to those athletes who will attend the selection camp.
Volleyball Australia’s national programs are supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, helping our teams and athletes reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
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