Long standing stalwart of Wessex VC Geoff Allen talks about his life in Volleyball.

Thank you Wessex Volleyball Club for letting us share the amazing life of Geoff in Volleyball.

What have been some of your best memories of the club to date?

Whilst winning 43 National Championships (+ 32 Runners-Up) was thrilling and I had great pride seeing our 3 Olympians in 2012, I think that it is the 44 years overall, seeing the club thrive, players achieving things they wouldn’t do otherwise and becoming better people through volleyball.

What are you proudest of, with regard to Wessex?

Although there were junior teams prior to us, they had always been based on school teams. We were the first club to have a comprehensive junior programme based outside school and for many years, it was the best in England. At the same time, we developed successful adult teams and we were the only club to compete at top national levels in male and female, adult and junior volleyball. In this way, we have moved volleyball in England up a notch.

What is your proudest moment as a coach?

There is a great sense of pride when you coach a team with players you have developed, using tactics that you have worked out. For a single match, it is probably when I coached England Men v California in 1987. The normal coach was unavailable and as Assistant Coach, I took over.

What was the best volleyball match you’ve watched?

I remember watching the 1976 Men’s Olympic Final on TV where Poland beat the USSR (who had invaded Poland) by 3 sets to 2. The fifth set was wonderful. Live, probably when USA beat USSR in Paris to become World Champions in 1986. The USA had so much passion, and Karch Kiraly.

What has surprised you the most when part of the Wessex journey?

That we have kept going for this long. There have been setbacks eg. sponsors reneging on agreements, having to withdraw teams from NVL Division 1, but we have kept going.

What would you like to see happen with the club moving forward?

I am really pleased that Dave, Dan and the Board are bringing great energy and new ideas to Wessex, even in these difficult times. To progress further and become the best club in England, competing in European Cups (always my aim), I feel that we must dramatically increase our publicity, particularly to papers, radio and TV, in order to attract commercial support. Company decision makers still look at those.

Why do you continue to be involved with volleyball after all these years?

It is the best way I can contribute to society. I enjoy coaching, helping improve players who want to improve. I enjoy the challenge of coaching matches.

What does it take to run such a successful volleyball club for so long?

Probably, it’s utilised the best combination of my skills - knowledge of volleyball, a sense of the structure needed, and the ambition to be the best. Then there’s Lynn, who really ran the club, whilst I went to work.

A big thank you to Geoff Allen for his time this week sharing some of the many memories from the past 40 years. We hope you have enjoyed it and as always, please continue to engage, support, improve and provide opportunities for more people to try volleyball!

For now a BIG thank you Geoff!