Volley good as campaign Gives Panthers boost
VOLLEYBALL has been added to the stable of sports hoping to benefit from North East-based GiveTo Local’s #InspiredToGive campaign.
Newcastle Panthers Volleyball Club is one of hundreds of clubs nationwide keen to net additional income via the organisation’s incentivised giving platform.
Founder and secretary Sue Sowden is constantly seeking new opportunities to secure the club’s long-term financial future and registered with the service last month.
She heard about GiveToLocal’s plans to pump £10m each year into community sport after former Great Britain and Team Northumbria star Peter Bakare backed the #InspiredToGive campaign.
It is one of Sowden’s enduring frustrations that British volleyball is still striving to achieve the recognition and profile enjoyed by the sport elsewhere in the world.
By joining the ever-expanding GiveToLocal community, the Newcastle Panthers VC stalwart hopes her sport can finally begin to bridge that gap.
One of the North East’s sporting success stories draws players from across the region to its new home on Tyneside.
However, Sowden believes the Panthers have the potential to make an even bigger imprint on Newcastle sport out of their base in the west end of the city.
“We moved to the Eagles Community Arena in January 2019 and it has already transformed the club,” said one of the driving forces behind volleyball development in the UK. “We have been able to double the opportunity for court time with back-toback two-hour sessions on a Tuesday night.
“However, there is demand for more. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown we were talking to the Newcastle Eagles about using a third court and accommodating even more junior players.
“Our youngest playing member is six and our oldest is 60. We have players from more than 40 different countries representing the Panthers.
“That is a reflection of the game’s global popularity. Go to mainland Europe or South America and the sport is massive – it is on television all the time and the sponsorship and funding is on a different level.
“It is such an easy sport to play and it is perfect for mixed teams and players of all ages. It is non-contact and a year-round sport.
“Working with GiveToLocal is an opportunity to showcase the value of volleyball to a wider audience and connect more closely with the local community.”
London 2012 star Bakare’s admission that volleyball in the UK – from international level to the grassroots game – relies on a dedicated army of volunteers resonated with Sowden.
She added: “That has always been the case with the Panthers.
“I set up the club with my husband Keith in 2005 because we could not find a club for our son Kieran.
“We started out in a school gym before moving permanently to a sports centre in another part of Newcastle – but even getting to that point was incredibly difficult.
“I lost count of the number of venues we contacted to see if there was space to run a volleyball club. We had two replies!
“However, we stuck with it and managed to establish Newburn Volleyball Club.
“We became Newcastle Volleyball Club – and established a full working committee and a better structure – prior to our move to the Eagles’ Community Arena.
“Everyone on the committee has certain areas to focus on but since I retired from playing I do more than ever in and around the club.
“I love it and I will do it for as long as I can – but like volleyball clubs up and down the country we rely wholly on the time of volunteers.
“If GiveToLocal can help to support those volunteers then it has to be a good thing.”
The Panthers rely almost exclusively on membership and match fees to cover the club’s day-to-day running costs.
Sowden added: “We see GiveToLocal as an opportunity to reach out to people who might be able to support us, without necessarily joining the club.
“Our biggest challenge is getting the word out to the local community that we are here and that it is possible to play volleyball with likeminded people from across the world.
“If we can do that I have no doubt people will see the value of what we do and do what they can to help our amazing team of volunteers.”
■ To register with GiveToLocal, visit www.givetolocal.com