SVA History

It all got going in the early 1970's. Sudbury Volleyball Club were the only club training and playing on a regular basis in the county. To supplement their volleyball, they were also members of the Essex Volleyball Association and played in the North Essex League. The folded in the early 1980's.

Stowmarket VC, which had formed in 1975, also joined the North Essex League as a way of finding games on a regular basis. Stowmarket ,at that time, was made up largely of school teachers from Stowmarket, Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds with a sprinkling of airmen from the local RAF and USAF bases. They went on to play in the National Volleyball League for 25 years, gaining promotion on 3 occasions and, most notably, winning the Kestours Cup in 1988.

In 1977, in an effort to raise the level of the game in the county, Stowmarket invited the then head of the English Volleyball Association, a Canadian called Barry McGregor, to Suffolk to run an open volleyball course at Thurlesden School in Ipswich. The weekend generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm and it was felt that enough teams could be found to form a league and an association. So with guidance and a draft constitution from Barry McGregor, the Suffolk Volleyball Association was born.

One of the first major events staged was a county tournament at Stowmarket Sports Centre which was covered by Anglia Television and with a very good interview with Mervyn Evans - the tournament was won Stowmarket VC.

Teams in those early years were Stowmarket, St.Josephs School Ipswich, King Edward VI Bury, County Upper School Bury, RAF Wattisham, RAF Honnington, USAF Mildenhall, USAF Bentwaters and Sudbury.

Key people were Neal Sheppard, Ron Ames, Mervyn Evans, Alan George, PeteTaylor, DennisTattoo, Paul Nightingale, Tim Hutton, Steve Bashford, Barry Lum, Mark Matthieson, Dennis Specht, and Richard Fugleson

Through the 80's and into the 90's the league strengthened with entrants from Ipswich right across the county to Newmarket. Enough teams joined to justify a two tiered league format with promotion and relegation and since then, a handicap cup and plate competition are annually contested.

The county supports Men, Ladies and veteran teams in nationwide tournaments and, importantly, Suffolk have a team back in the National Volleyball League this year, in the form of Ipswich Town.