VolleyFest 2013

Seeing as it’s been so long since I’ve blogged it’s only fitting that I kick things off with a post about volleyball!

On the 7^th and 8^th of September, Crystal Palace will play host to VolleyFest – a combination of beach, grass, sitting and indoor volleyball. The brain child of beach volleyball players Chris Gregory and Jake Sheaf, VolleyFest will be the biggest outdoor volleyball event of the year.

As part of the Paralympic anniversary games, the GB Sitting Volleyball team will take on Holland in in front of home fans once again. Captain Rob Richardson said, ‘Playing in front of home crowds last year was incredible for us, so to be given the chance to show off our fantastic sport once again at both the Copper Box and at Crystal Palace is a great honour’.

On the indoor scene, top National League teams such as London Polonia as well as Dutch National Team Pegasus Nijmegen to keep the competition fresh and fierce. The beach tournament will also see international competitors from Germany.

There will be music, a BBQ and a beach bum lounge to host the spectators of the outdoor arenas.

Whether you developed an appreciation for volleyball after London 2012 or were an avid enthusiast long before the Games, this event is definitely worth getting down to.

For more info go to http://www.cpbeachvolleyball.com/volleyfest

Misdirected Responsibility

Maria Sharapova has launched a range of sweets that seem to have ruffled a few feathers.

On the surface I can understand why: The public seemed to have adopted the opinion that athletes only consume wholesome, nutrient rich foods and that they should therefore be nutritional role models. Some argue that sports stars have a disproportionately large influence on consumer behaviour, including that of children, so the promotion of unhealthy foods is inappropriate.

It is of my personal opinion that massive, well established brands are more likely to influence consumer behaviour – especially those that sponsor massive international sports competitions… But I digress.

The public unfortunately forget that athletes are allowed a break too.

According to Sharapova, she’s had a sweet tooth since she was a child and lollies were an incentive for a particularly good training session. She doesn't claim that her sweets contribute to one’s ‘five-a-day’. She doesn't make any claims that the sweets are in anyway beneficial to one’s health. More importantly, the name of the sweets – Sugarpova - is a giveaway as to what the sweets are composed of.

Whether or not the public are willing to accept this, the fact remains that the responsibility is on individuals to make smart choices regarding what they eat.

That said, what Sugarpova has shown us is that if you are in industry, and you generate an income from something that is not in the spirit of that industry, you leave yourself open to criticism.

Sporting Fallacy

On Tuesday, 18 December an announcement was made by UK Sport regarding funding.  Whilst rowing, cycling, athletics, sailing and swimming fared well, basketball, handball, table tennis, wrestling and indoor volleyball are left to fend for themselves.

I wouldn’t be surprised if many people’s reaction to the announcement was ‘tough luck’, but that’s because many people don’t understand what goes into the creation of an international athlete. Whilst Britain was great at getting behind the athletes during the Olympics and cheering them on to success, all they saw was a snapshot of these athlete’s lives.

When the cameras are switched off, there is a phenomenal amount of time and money that goes into an athlete’s development. Equipment, physio, meals, petrol, train fare and kit all have to be paid for somehow, so where are these athletes expected to get the cash from?

According to Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, the sports that lost out on funding ‘have to get themselves to the stage where they have a realistic chance of winning a medal and they will get funding again. It's a simple, performance-based decision.’

In other words, world class performance is expected without world class funding. What a slap in the face. I know some of these athletes personally and hope that they are able to stay encouraged despite the lack of support.

I can’t help but wonder if the athletes were given a false sense of security during the Games but I suppose that doesn’t really matter now. What will matter is how they react to this announcement. Will they crumble, or will they go harder?

The Plight of the Female Athlete

When 16-year old Gabby Douglas dazzled London with her breath-taking gymnastics performance at the London 2012 Olympics, her hair was the last thing on the mind of the judges, the crowd or her competitors.

However, somewhere in cyber space the focus turned away from her achievement and focused solely on her mane. Thankfully, there were enough sensible people on Twitter that day to put the haters in their place.

It’s baffling to think that at the same age that many Americans get their driver’s license, Gabby has achieved one of the highest international honours – yet a small subsection of society felt it was necessary to detract from her achievement.

Unfortunately, it seems that whenever a female athlete excels in her field she may be subjected to scepticism and disparaging remarks.

Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen performed so phenomenally in the 400M individual medley that she swam the final leg of the event faster than Ryan Lochte did over the same distance. In place of the praise that a man might receive for such an achievement she received accusations of doping.

And who can forget Caster Semenya? Her reward for smashing the 800m at the 2009 World Championships was international scrutiny of her gender.

Although great strides have been made in levelling the playing field for women, it still feels as though a successful female athlete has to endure criticism before enjoying the praise that should accompany phenomenal achievement.

Ironically enough, the people who are quick to fire criticism, are likely to have won the ‘least likely to succeed’ award in high school.

Hopefully, all of the women who have achieved sporting success thus far continue withstand the criticism and continue on to greater success.

Footy Really Matters

Online football magazine FootyMatters.com is to host a charity fund raising event in the form of a community football tournament involving some of the UK's most innovative football charities.

From charities battling homelessness and unemployment to organisations creating educational programmes, the tournament will bring together key figures in football's third sector.

Teams taking part in the inaugural event, which takes place at London’s Paddington Recreation Grounds on Saturday 26 May, will compete for a half of the total raised.

The remaining monies will be awarded to the participating charity who acquires the most votes in an online public poll: www.footymatters.com/communitycup

The projects include:

Tackle Africa - deliver HIV education through football coaching to young people across Africa.

Zesh Rehman Foundation - use football as a vehicle for personal self-development and equip young people to aspire to enter the football industry.

London Tigers - a fully-fledged multi-sport fitness, education, community safety, volunteering and health organisation.

Pro Touch Soccer Academy - aims to provide young people with ‘the bridge and experience to professional football’.

Institute of Fundraising - supports more than 5,200 individual fundraisers and 340 charities in the exceptional work that they do.

Homeless World Cup - uses football to energise homeless people to change their own lives.

Flexi Football - the new hassle free, fun way of playing 11-a-side football and is the perfect alternative to 5-aside.

Calthorpe Project – home to the UK’s first outdoor facility dedicated to the South American small-sided game of Futsal.

Kits4Causes - takes unwanted kits to deprived communities where the appreciation for apparel adds to the raw passion for playing football.

Former Chelsea captain and a leading Kick ItOut ambassador, Paul Elliott gave the Community Cup his stamp of approval when he said: "Kick It Out is proud to be supporting the Community Cup. The tournament is raising awareness and funds for a whole range of worthwhile causes, and this is something Footy Matters should be praised for. This initiative is engaging people from all different communities and backgrounds, and is further proof of how football can be used as a powerful tool to bring about positive change."

Championing the relationship between football and the community is one of Footy Matters’ key areas. The site has previously featured community initiatives such as Dream a Dream's work to alleviate poverty in India, Urban Initiative’s fight against obesity in Chicago, World in Need's work drawing young Nigerians away from the militia and more.

Alex Lawson, Community Matters editor at FootyMatters.com, said: "The Community Cup provides a great opportunity for charities to display both their talent and their work within the community. The collective impact those involved are having both on the football community and wider society is commendable and this event will celebrate those advances."

Whilst the event won’t be open to the public, you can still support the Community Cup by going www.footymatters.com/communitycup and voting for the charity that you would like to win. Votes are free, so if you’ve never supported a charity before, here’s your chance!