NATIONAL PERFORMANCE PROGRAM END OF YEAR UPDATE – Volleyball Australia

NATIONAL PERFORMANCE PROGRAM END OF YEAR UPDATE

The end of 2025 was a highly productive and action-packed period for Australia’s next generation, with the year’s end seeing a lot of activity across the Volleyroos for the 2032 program and the U16, U18 and U20 National Performance Program (NPP).

In October, the Volleyroos for 2032 program travelled to Canada for a two-and-a-half-week international tour, competing against a range of USports programs and gaining valuable exposure to high-performance environments. 

A highlight of the tour was a week spent at the national training centre in Gatineau alongside Volleyball Canada’s Next Generation program and Poland’s premier development pathway, the Jastrzębski Węgiel Talent Academy. 

During this period, 14 emerging Australian athletes participated in shared training sessions, scrimmages, and a series of public international friendlies. The tour provided invaluable competitive and developmental experiences, laying strong foundations that the program looks forward to building on heading into 2026.

Momentum continued through November and December with a series of NPP camps across the country. The U20 age group assembled at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for a week-long camp marking the commencement of the 2027 Asian U20 Championships cycle. 

After four days of intensive development work, the camp concluded with competition at the 60th edition of the Good Neighbour Tournament. The camp was further strengthened by the involvement of coaching staff from Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League franchises, alongside members of the Volleyroos coaching staff, as preparations began toward qualification and finals contention at the 2027 Asian U20 Championships.

The year concluded with the largest camp in NPP history, held on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. More than 130 athletes across the U16 and U18 age groups participated in five days of comprehensive development alongside 35 coaches from across Australia. 

Athletes focused on both physical and mental performance, aligned closely with the principles and philosophies of the Volleyroos program. For the U18 cohort, the camp also marked an important step toward their upcoming Asian U18 Championships tour in July 2026.

From the Volleyroos for 2032 program and the U16, U18 and U20 National Performance Programmes, we hope everyone had a good break and look forward to seeing athletes back on court in the new year.