Fireblades Volleyball Club, in cooperation with Grosvenor Community Centre, Belfast Wolves Volleyball Club, Dalriada School, and Northern Ireland Volleyball, recently welcomed Belgian coach Kristof De Loose for a three-day visit packed with coaching clinics for coaches, teachers, and young players.
Across the three days, Kristof delivered four workshops at different venues, each focusing on practical solutions for coaches and teachers working in real school and club environments.
The first session took place at Campbell College in Belfast, where the focus was on organisation and creativity in training. Kristof demonstrated how coaches can keep 20 players actively engaged even when only one volleyball court is available, providing practical ideas that coaches could immediately apply in their sessions.
At Ulster University’s Jordanstown Sports Centre, the warm-up session with the U18 boys’ and girls’ turned into an enjoyable challenge: how do you get 100 students moving actively without using a ball? Kristof introduced energetic activities that kept every participant involved while building movement skills and team spirit.
The third workshop was hosted by Fireblades Volleyball Club at the Grosvenor Community Centre in Belfast. This session centred on how coaches can adapt drills and game formats to accommodate players with different skill levels, ensuring that everyone remains engaged and challenged regardless of experience level.
Sylwia Kowalczyk, Chair of Fireblades Volleyball Club, said:
“Every time I see a coaching clinic led by Kristof I feel inspired and hopeful for the future of volleyball in Northern Ireland. Seeing how we can introduce volleyball to the younger generation through fun activities is refreshing and exciting. I can’t wait to try the ideas he introduced in our training sessions.”
Mateusz Wiśniewski, Head Coach of Fireblades Volleyball Club, added:
“Kristof is a fantastic coach. It was a pleasure to watch the excellent connection he built with the young players. His approach showed that volleyball can be taught in an engaging and enjoyable way. Thanks to him, the young athletes could see that having fun is also a great path to developing skills and a real passion for volleyball.”
The final workshop took place at Dalriada School, where Kristof delivered a complete training session divided into three parts: a general warm-up section, a volleyball-specific section, and game-based formats. One of the highlights of the session was the use of balloons, a fun and effective teaching tool that proved popular with participants.
This session was organised primarily for primary school teachers from neighbouring schools, many of whom will soon take part in the CEV School Project, helping to introduce volleyball to younger pupils across the region.
Ian Walker, Head Coach at Dalriada School, said:
“We were very proud to support this event. It attracted many new primary school teachers from areas of Northern Ireland where the game requires development. The programme is going from strength to strength, and some of those newly trained primary school teachers have entered their teams already. Some have asked for additional outreach sessions from the staff and pupils of Dalriada and we will do all we can to facilitate in order to grow our amazing sport.”
Primary school teacher Peter Shields also highlighted the value of the workshop:
“The session was fantastic. Learning how to break down the mechanics for primary-aged students gave me plenty of practical ideas to get my pupils excited about volleyball without it feeling too technical or intimidating. A super session.”
Stephen McCartney, Sports Development Manager at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and Schools Director at Northern Ireland Volleyball, said:
“It was a fantastic learning experience for our teachers, pupils, and coaches that took part in the coaching sessions with Kristof. He brings a new dynamic to coaching volleyball to young players in very interactive sessions that build on solid basic technique and small-sided games. You could see the young players at the Wolves, Fireblades, and Dalriada sessions really challenged and learning with Kristof’s coaching style. The three-day visit proved a fantastic success for volleyball in Northern Ireland. Huge thanks to Fireblades for organising the visit.”
Joanna McCrory, Fireblades Club Committee member and CEV Schools Project Manager, emphasised the importance of collaboration:
“I was fortunate to attend all of the sessions during Kristof’s visit, and it was truly inspiring to see how he structured each one based on the skill level of the players, the equipment available, the number of participants, and even the size of the venue. Every session was different, yet all of them were full of fun, engagement, and great ideas for coaches. Most importantly, the kids were clearly having a great time while learning.
It’s very encouraging that so many organisations worked together to make these coaching clinics possible. It shows how much we all care about developing volleyball at grassroots level. Thanks to this initiative, we now have new primary schools joining the CEV Schools Project, which is fantastic news for the growth of the sport in Northern Ireland. A big thank you to Kristof and everyone involved.”
The visit highlighted how cooperation between clubs, schools, and governing bodies can create valuable opportunities for learning and development.