Pressure starts to mount for Giants

It has been a long time coming. Over two years ago now, London Volleyball League club Little Giants finished their first season in the national league after deciding to test their performance at a higher level. The women’s team won their division. The men’s finished second in theirs and that by just one point. Indeed, if a fifth set lost 13:15 to London Baks in the last match of the season had gone the other way, they too would have been champions. Despite this, promotion was earned and both teams will start the 2021/22 season in the national second division. Hopes are high for performing at a higher level but preparation needs to start in earnest.

It will begin with trials in the next few days and the club trusts that its efforts during the lock-down will bear fruit. Things have been difficult for amateur sport since the crisis began but in Clapham the club has made the best use possible of the opportunities available. For part of the time younger, under 18 players could play indoors and whenever it has been possible to play in the open air, the opportunity has been seized. It has hardly been good preparation for high level competition, however, and immediately after selection, serious training will get under way.

Promotion to the first division, if gained, will come a year later than hoped but that’s Giants’ target. Coach, Orhan told us, “I am proud of our London Giants women’s and men’s teams to get promotion to the upper division in the English National League in their first year competing in the league. A huge thanks to team captains, Zhen for the men and Elisabetta for the women. They both did a great job.  In the teams, everyone was a star. If I have to specify a player or two, it would be Igor and Peter in the men’s team and Monica and Jamie in the women’s.  They uplifted their team to the last moment of each game.”

Club Secretary, Cisel Ormancı added, “We are very proud of our coaches and players. Despite the Pandemic and challenging times for all, they kept their spirit up and continued to train on and off and this level of commitment paid back. We look forward to another competitive season and we wish coaches and team members the very best of luck.”

Contributor, Douglas Barr-Hamilton

Source: Little GiantsVC