Head Coach Report 2018
My job as Head Coach is to plan the Sunday evening programme, and to coordinate our team of coaches.
As promised at last year’s AGM I greatly reduced my volleyball coaching and playing commitments and coached only the U13 juniors in 2017-18. I would like to say a special ‘thank you’ to everyone who has taken extra responsibility to coach and run teams this season, and also supported me while my wife has been ill:
Men – James and players who helped
Women – Cliff, Kat, Helen, Matt and players who helped
Wilts Ladies & Junior League – Charlotte, Debbie and Julie
U13 junior helpers – Julie, Hayden, Alexandra, Maciek, Charlotte and Kat
Your committee – Dave, Donna, Zuzana, Julie, Maisie, plus team organisers above
Teams 2017-18
Juniors
U13 Girls – SW Junior Grand Prix series winners, SW Mini-Championships winners, Wiltshire training.
U13 Boys – SW Junior Grand Prix series winners, SW Mini-Championships runners-up.
Junior membership numbers were lower this year, but attendance was excellent. And what a fantastic season for Anna, Hannah, Gabriella, Julia, Kuba and Ben, RWBC’s most successful teams in 2017-18! They so enjoyed their second season of volleyball, developed great team spirit, improved rapidly, and thoroughly deserved their success. It was a privilege and pleasure to coach them.
Women
South West Championships (May 2017) – third place
South West League – played 16 of 18 games (2 delayed by snow) – currently 5th out of 10 teams
Wilts Ladies & Junior League – played 4 out of 6 rounds, with one round remaining
Membership numbers were stable, attendance slightly up though still patchy. It’s great to see the SWL team taking responsibility and leadership on court, having fun and getting better results. Our best-ever placing in the SW Championships was a great achievement, playing against national and regional league teams. Our 60% win rate in the SW League is better than recent seasons, and Laura is currently top of the league for MVP (again!). Congratulations Kat (captain), Debbie, Donna, Laura, Zuzana, Helen, Andrina, Angel, Anji, Mirella.
The Wilts Ladies & Junior League provides a safe and friendly, but competitive opportunity to develop younger players and gain match experience. Anna and Alex have improved rapidly in their first season of 6-a-side volleyball. Well done Charlotte, Maisie, Hayden, Alex, Anna, Angel, Debbie.
Men
Wilts League Div 1 – played 12 out of 14 games (7 wins so far), currently 4th out of 8 teams
Hayden – SW Junior Boys squad
Slightly fewer members this season were balanced by slightly better attendance. Training focussed on building a new team system. After losing old codgers Zafer and Phil since last season it’s been great to welcome new younger players, build a fantastic team spirit and win more games than we lose. The team has built a solid foundation to challenge strongly next season. Congratulations to Hayden for his success with the SW Juniors, and well done James, Andrew, Sergejs, Dave, Hayden, Seb, Josh, Dan, Ed, Robert, Pablo, Mike.
Planning ahead
Summer 2018
- In 2017 we ran weekly junior volleyball (for the first time) alongside the adults at Lydiard Park.
- In 2018 we’ll do the same, playing for fun at Lydiard Park, starting May (Andrew kindly organising).
- Whitefield Tournament, Bristol (grass), 21-22 July – looks like we’ll enter mixed and men teams.
- Other sand and grass tournaments, local and nationwide – just get together and enter!
Indoor season 2018-19
- Indoor training will start on the first Sunday in September – watch club website for announcements.
- The member survey suggests that all those who responded will be play with us again next season.
- We’ll decide league entries at the AGM.
Statistics for Sunday night club sessions 2017-18
|
Dedicated hours (Sunday evening)
|
Men home matches
|
Men training
|
Women training
|
Mixed training
|
Junior U13 training
|
|
2017-18 season
|
14
|
28
|
30
|
8
|
23
|
|
2016-17 season
|
14
|
32
|
27
|
6
|
16
|
|
2015-16 season
|
8
|
29
|
30
|
12
|
17
|
|
2014-15 season
|
18
|
24
|
26
|
14
|
19
|
Women play their home matches at Lavington School
|
Regular players
|
Men age 14+
|
Women age 15+
|
Juniors under 15
|
Total
|
|
2017-18 season
|
11
|
15
|
6 (4 girls, 2 boys)
|
32
|
|
2016-17 season
|
13
|
16
|
9 (7 girls, 2 boys)
|
38
|
|
2015-16 season
|
11
|
10
|
12 (7 girls, 5 boys)
|
33
|
|
2014-15 season
|
11
|
14
|
13
|
38
|
|
Average attendance
(match & training)
|
Mixed adult
|
Men
|
Women
|
Juniors U13
|
|
2017-18 season
|
12 (46%)
|
8 (73%)
|
9 (60%)
|
5 (83%) *
|
|
2016-17 season
|
16 (55%)
|
9 (69%)
|
9 (56%)
|
6 (66%)
|
|
2015-16 season
|
14 (58%)
|
8 (73%)
|
9 (69%)
|
5 (42%)
|
|
2014-15 season
|
14 (48%)
|
8 (73%)
|
8 (44%)
|
5 (38%)
|
* Plus one adult beginner (50%)
Proposal for discussion at the AGM
Issue
- A majority of juniors and men (and some women) would prefer to play every week – see member survey.
Potential solution for season 2018-19
- We could hire extra space at Lime Kiln, behind the curtain, for 1 hour weekly (7-8pm).
- Juniors U13 play every week, behind the curtain, using a junior net that fixes to badminton posts.
- The full volleyball court is then available for 3 hours every week for adults.
- Men play every week (training or league match).
- Women train slightly more often than now, but not every week (avoiding women and men match days).
- On shared training days, men and women sessions could be 1.5 hours exclusive or 2 hours overlapping.
- There may be some wasted court time (cost), eg when women and men both have matches away from LK (as now) or for 1 hour when men have home matches (unless women or WLJ train for 1 hour?).
- Additional hall hire cost is £16 per week, so everyone’s costs go up: £2/mo adult, £1/mo junior (in addition to annual hall hire increase).
- Subject to hall availability and agreement of the Leisure Centre.
Phil Heads
Head Coach
March 2018