With current Covid-19 restrictions and Christmas period approaching, now we shop online even more. Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Reading Aces Volleyball Club with easyfundraising?
There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, Amazon, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
Just to let you know that trainings are on this week as normal. Juniors train tonight at Kendrick School Reading from 7:30 pm and Teams (NVL and BVA) are on Tuesday at Loddon Valley Leisure center from 7:30 pm. All must fill out membership form phttps://readingaces.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/reading-aces-vc-registration-form-2020-21-2-off.pdf and register on eventbrite prior attending. Due to current situation we won’t be able to welcome unregistered players.
As per Government’s announcement we will be stopping trainings from Thursday the 5th of November until further notice. Thank you!
Despite the current COVID pandemic, we are planning to continue to provide Volleyball training for Juniors on Monday and adults on Tuesday.
However, because of the current COVID restrictions, we are restricted on the number of players that can attend the adult sessions to six players maximum. As a result, the committee has decided to change the way in which we are asking you to pay for training.
Membership and training fees will be as follows:
Priority on the Adult session will be given to adults but juniors can attend where there is space available.
Juniors attending the Tuesday adult session pay £5 per session ON TOP of their £25 per month Junior (Monday) training fee
Adults can pay £40 membership for the entire season (credit will be given if training can’t continue) OR £5 each month.
Adults can pay for training monthly in advance at £32 per month (or £20 per month for concessions) – credit will be given for any missed sessions.
The concession rate will be available to adults who are in full time education or not employed (or other circumstances with agreement from the committee)
We are currently looking into alternative booking systems for training but for the present, please continue to use Eventbrite to register ahead of attending training.
To register for the Junior session this week, please use the following link:
Reading Aces Volleyball Club is keen to get people playing volleyball again. However the current COVID pandemic has imposed limits on what we can provide and has also meant that some people are unable or unwilling to be involved.
Volleyball England have put forward ways in which volleyball can be played under the current government restrictions (see https://www.volleyballengland.org/coronavirus ) and are doing excellent work to keep this up-to-date as these restrictions are amended. These rules do however mean that what we can provide is restricted (e.g. adult volleyball is limited to groups of no more than 6, so matches can only be 3 versus 3 and even then players may be forced to sit out some of the time to allow for this).
However the Reading Aces Committee are aware that everybody has to take into account their own personal situation. With this in mind, please can you complete the survey below to allow us to gauge what appetite there is within the club for volleyball training for the rest of 2020; it should only take a minute or so to complete.
Note, if we are to have any volleyball, we do need your feedback. We can only afford to provide volleyball if we know what numbers we will be getting and if you fail to respond we can only assume that you are no longer interested.
Alsonote, If you are planning to play this season, we do need you to complete a membership form, This can be found at the following location:
Following a successful first indoor session last Monday the 5th of October we have arranged sessions for under 18s at 7:30 pm each Monday at Kendrick school Reading.
Please make sure that you book before you attend and that you complete a membership formp.
Volleyball England has published useful FAQ following to Tuesday’s announcement. Please read all here .
As you can know, the Junior session at Kendrick will be running as normal on Mondays from 7:30 pm and the adult indoor training is suspended for the moment.
From Thursday, 24th September, organised indoor sport for over 18s will no longer be exempt from the Government’s rule of six.
The new ruling, introduced to adult indoor sport as part of a string of new measures to address the rising number of Covid-19 cases, means that indoor volleyball cannot be played by a group of more than six adults in England.
All organised indoor volleyball activities for children will continue to be exempt from the rule of six. Beach and outdoor volleyball played under Volleyball England’s Government-approved guidance can continue.
Further details and clarification are being sought on what these changes mean for indoor sport for those under and over the age of 18.
In an address to Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said these new measures could last up to six months.
Sue Storey, CEO of Volleyball England, said: “Today is National Fitness Day. How ironic that it is also the day we confirm the gut-wrenching news that adult indoor volleyball as we know it may not take place until March.
“The last few months have been incredibly challenging for everyone connected to volleyball. Now, at a time when we are developing plans to grow the sport, we are faced with another barrier to playing the game we love, and that barrier may be around until the end of the season.
“Alongside other indoor sports, volleyball makes a huge contribution to the lives of individuals, to the economy and to society.
“It creates social bonds between people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds. It keeps us fit and happy as we dart around the court to dig, block, and pancake the ball. And there are improved health and benefits to the individual and wider society through volunteering. All of this will continue to be lost in the months ahead.
“Volleyball England will follow these new rules to the letter and ensure the community adheres to them too. It will also campaign for common sense to prevail.
“Why have indoor sports not been granted the same opportunity as pubs and restaurants to introduce tighter measures to make our environments even safer? We followed a meticulous process to allow organised volleyball to safely return in July and we are eager to devise plans that would make indoor volleyball even safer, if required.
“Let us summon that spirit of togetherness that the Prime Minister spoke of to work on bringing indoor sport and all of the health, social and economic benefits that come with it to return.”
The restrictions on indoor sport for adults were announced a day after Volleyball England joined with more than 100 sport and physical activity bodies to send a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to ringfence funding for the recovery of the sector – or risk fuelling physical inactivity and related illnesses for a generation.
It is critical that everybody observes the following key behaviours:
Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds.
Cover your face in enclosed spaces, especially where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
Stay two metres apart where possible, or one metre with extra precautions in place.
We are pleased to announce that we are starting our Outdoor volleyball on Tuesday 25th August at 6 pm held at Prospect Park in Reading. It’s currently only open for members.
Actions plans for each discipline were submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the last fortnight and on 27th July, the long-awaited return of volleyball was confirmed.
With immediate effect, volleyball activity (6v6 indoor volleyball, 2v2 beach volleyball and 6v6 outdoor volleyball) can now take place as long as the necessary modifications and safety measures are in place to mitigate the transmission risk of the coronavirus.
Behind the scenes, the Hub team and our Return to Volleyball Working Group volunteers have been working hard to prepare detailed guidance to allow the sport to return. Crucially, competitions should only resume once the necessary risk assessments and safety plans are in place and when organisers are confident that Government, venue and Volleyball England advice can be followed.
Sue Storey, Chief Executive of Volleyball England, said: “We are extremely happy to announce the Government has confirmed that our plans are in line with their guidance. This means we have been given the green light to get back on the sand, the grass and the court and play our sport again, both in training and competitively. We are still working hard on our plans for the return of sitting volleyball and hope to to have some positive news to share soon.
“This is a big day and a huge step forward on the road to the full resumption of volleyball. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of those people, most of them volunteers, that have worked so hard and given up countless hours to get us to this stage.
“I wish everyone good luck as they take to the sand, the grass and the courts around the country in the coming weeks – have lots of fun, stay safe but please stick to our guidance.
“We will continue to work hard to help everyone in the volleyball community adapt to this new way of operating, so please keep talking to us.”
Plans are currently being developed for the return of indoor sitting volleyball.
Volleyball England is planning to hold a webinar on Thursday, 6th August at 6.30pm to talk through these plans in more detail and answer any questions. Details of how to join will be published soon.
