Steve Betts

Steve has been involved with Volleyball in the North East since the mid 70s. As a PE teacher he introduced Volleyball to his school and became inspired to set up a school team which progressed ultimately to become a National League team under the Gateshead name. Since his retirement in 2006 he has taken on an almost full-time role in Volleyball development within Tynedale and the wider north east area. Within Tynedale he set up the Tynedale Volleyball Partnership with the aim of forming school club links for junior development and encouraging adult beginners. He was instrumental in establishing the Village Volleyball scheme, which received a lottery grant to establish Volleyball in halls around the rural area of Tynedale. For the Northern Counties Association Steve has been active in developing links with schools across the area, taking sessions himself, training teachers and establishing competitions. In addition he has worked to support existing clubs in their development aims and brought in new clubs such as Sunderland University and encouraged new teams, particularly ladies, to enter the local leagues. He has been a constant source of support and wisdom on all matters and his patient encouragement has been invaluable to all volunteers in the local area.