Reds Volleyball Club is one of the newer volleyball clubs in Western Australia, but have overcome a number of challenges to record some fantastic results both on and off the court in 2020. Reds received the honour of Club of the Year at Volleyball WA’s awards night. We caught up with Reds’ President Anthony Meo and Secretary Will Dundas to find out more.
Growth On and Off the Court
Since the Club’s formation in 2018, the Reds have grown to over 250 players in their Western Australian Volleyball League (WAVL) program and in 2020, the Club was awarded the Volleyball WA Club of the Year and Robyn Fittock Indoor Club of the Year. The Reds also claimed the women’s 2020 State League and State League Reserves championships in the WAVL.
Reds President, Anthony Meo, said that while the Club’s on court performances were encouraging, the Club’s focus extends beyond the volleyball court.
“We have recorded some fantastic results in recent times, but we still have a long way to go, and we’re looking forward to continuing the journey. We’re fortunate to have so many people at Reds who are prepared to make a difference and help us achieve great things.
“Our ethos of ‘Good people first, good volleyballers second’ drives what we’re about as a volleyball organisation. Promoting positive values to our members, and promoting the positive physical and mental wellbeing of our athletes is really important for us.
“What’s happening off the court is beginning to translate into some excellent results on the court and that is incredibly pleasing,” Meo said.
Innovation Through Interruption
COVID-19 presented a number of challenges for Reds, and Meo spoke of the importance for the Club to continue to engage with their members during this period.
“Our State League coaches facilitated a range of online challenges, Zoom calls, and fitness sessions throughout the lockdown period that allowed us to stay connected with our community.
“The Rally Challenge was a fun, online challenge driven by our men’s State League Head Coach, Josh Court, that brought together volleyballers from all over the world,” Meo said.
Check out the full series over at the Reds website, as the rally made it though Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North America and beyond!
A Vibrant Community
Reds Secretary, William Dundas, highlighted the importance of building a vibrant Reds community and continuing to work to create a positive Club environment.
“A key priority for Reds is to produce players, coaches, referees and volunteers who are good people and embody the values of sportsmanship, fairness, honesty and respect. We believe building this positive environment is so important for the club to develop a positive and safe environment for our club community as well as the volleyball community as a whole.
“Having a positive club environment is essential to having a successful sporting club but also to develop players, coaches and volunteers at the club,” Dundas said.
2021 Shapes Up as Another Exciting Season
The Reds run junior and senior indoor programs at Aquinas College and Penrhos College and have recently embarked on a new beach volleyball program that was based at Sandsports in Nedlands. Meo said that 2021 is shaping up to be another exciting season at Reds.
“We are looking forward to continuing to learn, improve and provide our players with the best possible opportunity to become better athletes on the court and better people off it. We can’t wait to welcome back our current members and introduce new players and families to the Reds community next season.”
For more information about the Reds, including programs and how to join, please check out their website, Facebook and Instagram.