Ontario Volleyball Association was recently approved for a Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Recruitment Programming Fund grant in the amount of $10,000 to further develop sitting volleyball opportunities for persons with a disability. The OVA believes in fair and equal access to participation, regardless of age, gender, geographic location or ability. With those beliefs in mind, it is the goal of the OVA to ensure that all children and youth, both able-bodied and disabled athletes, have the opportunity to experience a fun, supportive, non-competitive environment.

The OVA will be working towards achieving the following outcomes:

1. The OVA will develop and publish a SPIKES sitting volleyball activity framework through the creation of a sitting volleyball manual. The full SPIKES sitting volleyball chapters and activities (to be written by sitting volleyball specialists from Volleyball Canada and the athletes and coaches from the national sitting volleyball teams) will help ensure the programs integrity. These manuals will range from introductory to advanced, and will allow athletes to learn the skills needed to play the sport, and continue to work on those skills for years to come. The manuals created will be implemented into the various sitting volleyball programs and training sessions offered across the province, which will increase the awareness of the sitting volleyball and ensure that there are many opportunities for athletes to try the sport and for coaches to become comfortable with coaching sitting volleyball.
2. A sitting volleyball video will be created and posted on the OVA website. Not only will this video act as a promotional tool for sitting volleyball, it will demonstrate skill acquisition for sitting volleyball as well as demonstrate different activities and drills that can be incorporated into SPIKES house league programs. This video will improve current SPIKES House League programs by making it inclusive for all youth, regardless of level of ability.
3. The OVA will run twelve (12) sitting volleyball training/youth participation sessions. During these sessions, SPIKES Clinicians will run coach sessions to train SPIKES house league leaders on how to adapt their volleyball program, to include sitting volleyball session in each house league program.
4. The OVA will run five (5) SPIKES on the Road volleyball sessions, which will include a sitting volleyball component to the full day program for children, youth and teachers.
5. The OVA will partner with Durham Attack, Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Club, Hespeler Scorpions Volleyball Club and the City of Ottawa to deliver three (3), eight (8) week sitting volleyball programs.

Through these initiatives, the OVA will be introducing a minimum of 350 children and youth, and 15 SPIKES coaches to sitting volleyball. 

Please email Program Coordinator, Nicole LaRochelle at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if your club would like to be involved in OVA sitting volleyball programming.