History
Conor Keeling and Pat Lynch founded the Aer Lingus Volleyball Club in June 1984. Both Conor and Pat were playing volleyball with Tallaght and the National Team at that time and decided to use their expertise in starting up a club at Dublin Airport. In our first season as a club we had 1 ladies' and 1 men's team. We got our first club victory by winning the Division 3 Men's National League title.
Over the years our Club has gone from strength to strength with teams competing almost every single division and is currently one of the biggest in the country. To date the Aer Lingus Volleyball Club has won over 30 National Titles. Many of our Current and past members have been on the Irish Ladies or Men's National Squads. In the past we have no fewer than 18 members in the Senior, Junior & Cadet Men/Ladies Squads.
The 1997/98 season was the most successful since the foundation of the Aer Lingus Volleyball club back in 1984. We had 6 teams competing in all Divisions of National League and our teams achieved 2 first place and 4 second place in their respective divisions. This will no doubt take some beating in the future. While in the National Championship, 3 teams that reached the finals were all winners on the day. We also had 3 players Received the coveted National All-Star awards.
Our Club has competed in many tournaments abroad over the years. The furthest we travelled is to Japan and Australia in 1993 and 1995 respectively, and have participated in tournaments in the following European cities - Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Lisbon, Nice, Paris, Prague and Zurich - over the last 19 years. There has also been many great tournament weekends in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and of course the 26 counties.
With an eye on the future we have taken our next steps in development. Our first was in 2001 to form a coaching and development partnership with 4 secondary Schools in Swords, Co Dublin. This entails running an Inter-Collegiate Volleyball Competition and Coaching Courses for the interested Pupils and Staff. This competition was originally the brain child on Sean MacDonaill who ran this competition for 5 years and has championed volleyball in the Swords area for many years.
Our second initiative was to set up a Junior section for under 16 year old. This was a major step and has proved very successful. We now have a thriving under 12 year old section with two dedicated coaches. The emphasis at this level is on Fun and play. We also have a growing under 16 year old group of players.
Biographical Information
Objectives of the club.
- The Primary objective of the club is to promote and encourage the game of Volleyball through fun and competition.
- It is also the aim of the club to improve the skills Base of the
membership and develop the players by encouraging their participation in
Club Activities, including Official coaching or referee courses
approved by the V.A.I. or other such body e.g. National Coaching and
Training Centre.
- The Club aspires to provide the support and facilities necessary for
each member to achieve their potential and to enjoy their volleyball
career to the full. The Club sees volleyball as a means of improving the
health, self-esteem and quality of life of its members.
Membership
Membership is Open to all A.L.S.A.A. members who are interested in playing the game of Volleyball