March 10, 2021: Volleyball Canada is pleased to renew its agreement with its hosting partners in Richmond, B.C., home of the women’s national team program.
The partnership between the Richmond Olympic Oval, Volleyball BC and Volleyball Canada was formed in 2016 to provide an environment of excellence for the women’s program to prosper and become a top contender on the international and future Olympic stages. The women have been training at the Oval since February 2017.
“The Richmond Olympic Oval has been an excellent host to our women’s senior and development programs and we’re looking forward to continuing this partnership,” said Julien Boucher, Volleyball Canada High Performance Director. The agreement runs until Dec. 2022.
“The players, coaches and staff of the Volleyball Canada women’s national team program have been a great addition to the Canadian national team community based out of the Oval,” said Dennis Skulsky, Board Chair of the Richmond Olympic Oval. “The Oval looks forward to continued collaboration with Volleyball Canada to build on the national team program’s success while also supporting new initiatives, development programs and event hosting.”
The partners contribute to the running of the centre with a focus on community engagement, fundraising, athlete health and wellness programs and other initiatives.
“We are delighted that our partnership with Volleyball Canada is continuing forward. This agreement presents unique opportunities for volleyball players, coaches, and referees in BC to connect, support and be inspired by the women’s national program,” said Doramy Ehling, President of Volleyball BC. “We are looking forward to working together to realize this potential and to provide a welcoming home for the program.”
The community support has been a key to the partnership’s success.
“The Canadian women’s national volleyball program is a source of inspiration for the next generation of athletes who live in Richmond and elsewhere, or train using many of the Oval’s state-of-the-art facilities,” said Malcolm Brodie, Mayor of the City of Richmond. “The team is a great example of Richmond’s strong sports community and Olympic Legacy in action, and we continue to welcome them as they use the world-class Richmond Olympic Oval in pursuit of further international success.”
The centre successfully hosted the 2020 National Excellence Program (NEP) for grade 11 and 12 athletes who have national senior team potential, and this program will resume in 2021. More info is here: https://bit.ly/3rvz5O6
The women’s program, headed by coach Shannon Winzer, has also embarked on its annual #GIVE5 fundraising initiative, which teams up the national program with clubs in across the country. Clubs may sign up here:
https://volleyballcanada.formstack.com/forms/2021_give5_campaign
This year the senior team will compete for the first time in FIVB Volleyball Nations League, which will be held in a bubble format with more details to come this month.