British women’s volleyball team will have to raise up to £500,000 to keep their dream of competing at the 2012 Olympics alive.
No British indoor volleyball team has ever qualified to compete at any Olympics, but as host country, they qualify automatically. This is their opportunity to establish the sport in the UK.
Due to insufficient funds, their winter training programme been compromised. Only a limited competitive programme will take place next summer.
The 17 athletes will now have to try and find individual short-term contracts to play abroad or identify a training regime in the UK.
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“It is distressing news and a very serious situation,” said Audrey Cooper, the women’s coach. “But we have decided to take our destiny into our own hands. We will try and raise the necessary funds ourselves. “
The main fund-raising event will their participation in a 320-mile bike ride.
The event, lead by Cooper and completed by the British team, will be launched in Sheffield City Centre on July 23 and finish on July 27.
The riders will complete distances of up to 100 miles a day, stopping along the way in Nottingham, Loughborough, Wolverhampton, Kidderminster, Oxford and Reading to try and raise awareness about their situation.
Captain Lynne Beattie said: “We know that this is the greatest opportunity of our lifetime to compete at an Olympics and to let it go now would be just devastating,”
The immediate target for the team, is to raise a minimum of £250,000 to ensure a high level of international competition next summer.
A further £250,000 in 2011 would allow them to achieve their ambition of playing as team in a European League next winter 2011-12.
Chloe Hibbert, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
