Southland clubs head for championships

JILL McKEE/ID 124770

OVER THE NET: Southland club volleyball players Mel Cook (left) and Campbell Goodsir getting in some practice ahead of next weekend's southern zone club championships in Dunedin. This year will be the first that Southland has sent any team to the event.

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Southland volleyball is reaching new heights, with men's and women's club teams heading to next weekend's southern zone club championships for the first time.

In the past, Volleyball Southland has struggled to get the numbers or the talent to select teams for the club championships, but now, with volleyball participation levels constantly on the rise, that's all changed.

And according to Volleyball Southland development officer Mel Cook, who is also a member of the women's team, Southland won't just be there to make up numbers.

"I think we will be very competitive.

We're having pretty serious practices, three times a week," she said.

"The women's team played against Vikings — a Dunedin club team — recently, but we lost in the fifth set. If we'd had our A team there we would have won quite convincingly, so it's encouraging." The teams, which will compete under the Southland club banner, will play against club teams from areas throughout the South Island in Dunedin next weekend and at at another tournament in July.

Cook and men's team member Campbell Goodsir were confident the teams would do well with a classic mix of young players and "old experience" in both.

"Basically it's been selected from our weekly competition and it's for players that are good enough to play at club level," Cook explained.

"This is the next step up from school, but it's below national or South Island level. We have got strong secondary school players, but most of them leave. More people are aware of volleyball down here now and we have a good structure going.

"We had players turn up to trials that wouldn't have been playing otherwise (without these teams to aim for)." Cook was certain Southland's involvement in club volleyball would not be a one-off and she was planning to organise games against Queenstown and Dunedin clubs in the future.

"It's good — we don't know what life is like outside of Southland volleyball," Cook laughed.

- © Fairfax NZ News